


Stronger Than Me

by SummerRaine14



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst, Boxer!Betty, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Fluff, Friends With Benefits, I promise, Jug is rich, Multi, Rehabilitation, Self Harm, Smut, They get a happy ending, Writer!Jughead, boss/employee
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-11
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2019-04-21 09:50:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 34,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14282343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SummerRaine14/pseuds/SummerRaine14
Summary: Betty Cooper wasn’t like most girls. She was strong and independent, leather was her skin and hitting the punching bag her saving grace. Betty didn’t commit to people, she had fun. When she moves to Riverdale, she shows up at the White Wyrm looking for a job.Jughead Jones wasn’t like most men in the Southside. He sported his Serpents jacket rarely, lived in a penthouse apartment, and was the owner of their towns infamous club, the White Wyrm. Jughead didn’t give his heart to anyone, he had fun. When a new woman moves to Riverdale, she shows up at his bar looking for a jobAs Betty and Jughead spend more time together on the job, will they break their own rules and admit it’s more than just fun?





	1. More Than I Look

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, you lovely people!  
> So, I feel like I should take a moment to explain something. I have my first ever Bughead fic that I put on hiatus, and that is simply because I have no motivation nor want to write/tell that story anymore and thought that if I deleted it, then if I ever got that motivation back, I could never continue. But for now (and probably a long ass time-if not forever) I will NOT be updating, "I Took One Look at You (and there was no going back)". I've also seen some of you ask about "It Was Me, Saving You." DON'T WORRY, that story is in full force with the next 4 chapters already written and I'm just waiting on my beta. 
> 
> Now, with all that said, I truly hope you enjoy this because it is so much fun to write.

As she walked into the front door of the White Wyrm, Betty Cooper was well aware of the dangerous game she was playing. Though, she’d never been one to stay on the safe side. Her hair was down, in long waves past her breasts, while she wore fishnet tights under ripped jeans, and a lace bralette, leaving nothing to the imagination. Her look was complete with a black leather jacket and matching combat boots. Betty  _ looked  _ like she belonged, however, no one in the room had ever seen her before, and she was stepping foot on sacred Serpent ground. 

Ignoring the stares of men all over the room, Betty took a seat at the bar where a young woman around her age with long, curly pink hair came to serve her. “What can I get you, darling?” The woman asked, throwing her cleaning towel over her shoulder. 

“I’ll just take a beer, thanks.” Betty said, smiling as men gasped at her choice of drink over. 

“Don’t worry about them. They’re old school and think all women should drink wine.” The bartender spoke, setting a beer bottle in front of Betty. “I’m Toni.” She reached her hand out, and Betty shook it. 

“I’m Betty.” She said, “So, I’m guessing by their jackets, this is some kind of gang hang out?”

Toni smirked leaning against the wall behind her, “That it is. But I have a feeling this isn’t your first time around a bunch of men in matching jackets.” 

Betty lifted her drink and nodded her head, “Well, you’re not wrong there.” She said, before taking another swig of the ice cold beer. Toni went on to take care of another customer at the end of the bar, while Betty sat and looked around. There were still some eyes on her, but most people went back to doing what they were before. A group of older men playing pool, not bothering to keep quiet with their death threats and language. While some other men were occupied at the back of the room with a few women, and then, around her at the bar were the men and women who looked like they felt the way she did. Empty. When Toni returned, Betty noticed her irritation. “Does it ever get overwhelming, being the only one working?”

Toni laughed, “We have two other employees, my oldest friend is a bartender, and his fiance is a waitress. Then there’s the two bosses, who do make appearances some nights, but for the most part, are in the office always discussing business. So, yeah, it can get overwhelming but I’m not on my own.” 

“Well, I’m new to town and been trying to find a job. Of course, if my family found out this is where I chose to employ myself they wouldn’t be pleased. But, if you need someone new-” Betty pulled over a napkin that was sitting on the bar, and nodded to the pen in Toni’s pocket before writing down a number, “this is my number.” Without another word, Betty got up from her seat and walked out of the bar. 

As she walked down the street to her car, Betty sighed. She had been here before, dressing up like a badass and putting on this facade to get what she wanted, and after what happened last time, she most definitely should have learned. Before, there was never a time when she could have pretended to be a different person for the soul purpose of proving a point. Betty’s heart was racing as she started the car engine and headed back to her apartment. It wasn’t like Betty  _ needed  _ a job. Her previous job, and well, life in general, had left her with a fairly large amount of cash in the bank. Making it possible for her to afford the current penthouse apartment that apparently, only the richest of the rich in this town could live in. Betty laughed, the prices being half of what her worst home in LA was. Small towns like this came with a lot of benefits, an apartment like this was costly, but in LA would have undoubtedly been nearly double the price. 

It was late in the evening, so as she tossed her phone on the bed and changed out of her clothes, Betty wasn’t expecting a phone call tonight. She pulled on a pair of silk pajama shorts and a white bralette before curling up under the covers of her new bed and resting off to sleep. 

The next morning came and Betty groaned as the sun was shining in through the window frame. Betty had always loved mornings, growing up in a family where her mom had her up at the crack of dawn for a run around the block and some egg whites for breakfast. Never missing a healthy and important meal, before getting dressed in her pastel colours and heading off to school. But as the years went on, her love for the mornings turned into pure hatred. Betty preferred staying up until three am and then crashing until mid afternoon, her school paid the price, but she didn’t care, well, not as much as her mother did anyway. Betty found herself wrapped in the wrong crowd, falling for a man that entered her into a life of the unknown. Her simple once in a while bowl of weed and a can of palm bay at a party, became lines of cocaine and multiple drinks on the daily. Lucky for her, she never found herself addicted the way others were. Betty could be offered a drink, and shake her head no, someone could be doing drugs right in front of her, and she could get up to walk away. However, she still had an addiction. It wasn’t for the high or drunk feeling, but the thrill of having men gasping her name as they reached their climaxes, the way everyone around her wanted to touch her, and once upon a time, how one man would step up and tell everyone to back off  _ his  _ woman. Things like that created the woman she was last night, barely there clothing and a strong attitude, it was simply who she had become and a new town wasn’t about to change that. 

Betty had just gotten out of the shower when she saw an unknown number pop on her phone, at first, a rush of fear ran through her body,  _ what if it was him?  _ But then, she remembered that she gave her number to a beautiful bartender the previous night and a slight bit of excitement came to the surface. 

“Betty. It’s Toni.” She said as Betty answered, “I talked with my bosses, and they agree we’re understaffed here.We’re a very close knit group here, so them even  _ thinking  _ about hiring you is a big deal. Mr. Jones said he’ll be available at 7pm and if he likes you, he’ll want you to start right away. Saturdays are our busiest night, after all.” 

Betty smiled, “I’ll be there at seven.” 

“Okay.” Toni went silent for a moment, “Just a heads up, Jones can be a bit...straightforward. So, goodluck.” Before Betty had the chance to reply, the phone call was ended. 

Betty took a look in the mirror, her half naked body suddenly didn’t seem good enough. Though Betty had spent years surrounded by honest men, they were also cowards, and straightforward wasn’t something she was used to. It was decided then that her normal attire wouldn’t do the trick, and she would have to up her game for this interview that would take place in just over nine hours. Until then, she would get to know her new town.

Betty got dressed in a pair of dark black jeans, one of her few pairs without rips, and a large Zoo York hoodie, throwing her long waves into a messy bun and saving the makeup for later before grabbing her cell phone and car keys. As she left her apartment and turned around after locking the door, Betty’s body collided with another. She took a step back, “I’m so-” Her words were lost when she saw the person she walked into. He was slightly taller than her, with short jet black hair but it was eyes that matched the colour of the ocean that caught her attention the most. 

“I’m sorry.” The man spoke, his voice sending shivers down her spine. Without another word, the man dressed in an all black suit headed down the hallway. Betty stood frozen, she was used to making men lose all senses. But never in her life had she been stunned at the sight of a man.

 

Before moving to the town of Riverdale, Betty had done her research. The three top listed things that appeared were Pop’s Chocklit’ Shoppe, The White Wyrm, and Sweetwater River. As Betty had already ventured to the Wyrm last night, and would be again, she narrowed it down to the other places. Assuming that if teenagers here were anything like they were in LA, Betty didn’t want to disturb them having fun at the river, and decided it would be best to stop by the infamous diner and check out what all the hype was about. LA had hundreds of restaurants, and Betty had been to a fair few of them, so, the idea of her being satisfied with a small town diner seemed impossible, but she would give it a try nonetheless. 

When she entered the diner, it gave her retro vibes, the lights were neon and bright, while all waitresses sported short yellow uniforms and the booths were red. Betty took a seat in the booth at the far back corner and looked over the menu. Someone approached her, and at first she thought it was a waitress until they spoke, “I don’t mean to sound rude, but the man who usually sits there isn’t exactly keen on sharing. It’s  _ his  _ spot.” The girl speaking could not have been more than fifteen, but as she spoke about that being someone’s seat, her hands were shaking and she looked...scared. 

“I appreciate the concern, but this is a diner. No one has assigned seats and if the man has a problem with me being in his spot, he can take it up with me himself.” Betty said, smiling at the younger girl, hoping to calm her nerves. 

“Is that so?” Betty heard, and her eyes went wide when she looked up. It was the man she ran into at her apartment barely an hour ago, he still wore an all black suit, but looked much more stressed than he did before. “Midge, you can go. I’ll give your brother some money for you looking out.” He smiled at the teenage girl, and she quickly scrambled away. “First you bump into me outside of my home, and now you’re stealing my seat.” Jughead wiped his hand across his face. 

“This morning was an accident, and technically, it was in front of  _ my  _ home too.” Betty argued, “Also, I was here first, which means I didn’t steal anything.” 

“Well.” He said, leaning forward so their faces were a only a few inches apart, “If you want to get technical, I was here first. By about 29 years.” Betty gasped, the man looked older than her for sure, but she would’ve never guessed he was the edge of hitting thirty. 

“Jughead.” They heard a voice, and both turned to face the man who was holding a take out bag, whom Betty assumed was Pop, the owner of the diner. “Leave the lady alone and head back to work, son.” He smiled, handing Jughead the bag of food and patting him on the back as he walked away. “Don’t mind him, he’s just a bit...straightforward.” Betty laughed, that was the second time that day that someone had told her another person was straightforward. If that was how her possible boss was going to act, she wasn’t sure she wanted the job at all. But then, a part of her was up for the challenge and wouldn’t mind having a back and forth relationship with her boss. Shaking the thought of any type of _ relationship  _ out of her head, Betty ordered her food and waited patiently for it to return. 

 

After finishing her brunch, that was quite literally the best food she’d ever tasted, Betty decided to leave her car parked at the diner and take a walk around the town. There were families with their kids, couples strolling down the sidewalk hand in hand, other people on their bikes. It was quite the contrast to what Betty had seen last night. The White Wyrm was dark and rough, while the town around her seemed light and filled with love. There was a part of Betty that longed for that type of happiness, but then she thought back to her childhood, the family pictures and days out in the nice weather. It was all a cover up to what happened behind closed doors, so she tried not to dwell too much on what appeared to be the perfect families all around her. As the day went on, Betty headed back to the diner and grabbed her car, deciding to go home and do nothing until she needed to get ready for her interview. The small town was a change from the big city, and though some people might have found themselves bored, she silently appreciated the calmness of her new life, hoping and praying it would continue to stay this way during her time here. 

As Betty pulled into the parking lot of her apartment building, her phone went off. Though the number still appears as unknown, it showed when they last spoke and Betty knew it was the White Wyrm. “I know I said 7 and it’s barely even 2 now but it’s been a crazy day. One of the bosses is waitressing, which she hates.” Toni chuckled, “Jones said he needs to do this interview now and get his partner back in the office.” 

“Give me ten minutes to get dressed and then I’ll head over.” Betty said, this time being the one to hang up and rushing into her apartment. She was hoping to have more time to craft together an outfit that would help her look like she fit in, but now her usual would just  _ have  _ to do. 

Betty pulled on her favourite pair of fishnet leggings and added her blue jeans with large rips in the thighs over top, she scrambled through her bag and found a red lace tank top to pair with her black leather jacket. She pulled her hair out of the bun and letting it fall to her shoulders, while realizing there was no time to do her makeup, she splashed some water on her face for a more cool and relaxed look. Coming out of her apartment at a quick pace, Betty was glad her neighbour wasn’t there for her to run into again. 

As she pulled up at the White Wyrm, Betty felt an odd sense of nostalgia. It had been a few months since she was at a bar during the day light, but once upon a time, it was something she did almost every day. Toni wasn’t kidding when she said it was busy, the entire parking lot was filled. Motorcycles and cars lined up down the road. When Betty entered, she saw Toni instantly, but it was the voice of someone behind the bar that caught her attention. 

“You must be Betty.” He smiled as she walked up to him, “I’m Sweet Pea, one of the bartenders here, and over there-” He pointed to a young woman with short raven coloured locks, “Is our waitress, Veronica, and you’ve met Toni. Boss lady Blossom is upstairs with Jones, I’ll warn you, he’s not in the best of moods.” 

“Well, thank you for filling me in, but I’m sure I can handle it.” Betty smirked, “So, can I head up now?” 

“Yeah, he’ll be expecting you and Blossom will leave to come down here until Jones reaches his verdict.” Sweet Pea smiled, “Take those stairs over there and it’s the first door on your right.” He said, pointing to a tall black spiral stairway at the back of the room. With a nod, Betty handed for the stairwell. 

Betty stopped at the first door on her right, sighing slightly before knocking. Almost instantly, the door swung open and a woman with long, vibrant red locks opened the door. Her face was burning and she looked mad, her eyes gazed over Betty before she stormed past her and down the stairs. 

“Come in.” Betty heard a voice say, she recognized it, but couldn’t exactly place it. Doing what the man said, Betty entered the room, stopping in her tracks when she saw who was sitting behind the large black desk. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” Jughead said as he noticed who was in front of him. “You’re the woman Toni was suggesting?” He scoffed, “Excuse me if this seems incorrect, but you didn’t exactly seem like the type of person to work in a bar.”

Betty smirked, this wasn’t the first time a man said she wasn’t the ‘type’ to be in certain places and do certain things, “Well, you are right. That is extremely incorrect. I’ve worked in a bar in the past, and if you bring up the gang members downstairs, I knew when I saw the snakes on the back of their jackets. This is the hang out for the Southside Serpents, well known gang across the area, they have their enemies. It doesn’t scare me, Mr. Jones.” 

Jughead’s eyes went wide, he knew this woman had an attitude from their previous encounter that morning, but he couldn’t have guessed that she would be like this. Strong willed and intelligent. “Well, we are quite short staffed so if you can, I want you to start now. I assume you know how to pour and mix drinks.” 

“I do, but I have a feeling they’ll mostly just want beers.” She smiled, Jughead nodded his head with a smirk, Betty wasn’t wrong. 

 

\--

 

Betty had gotten a hang of working at this bar fairly quickly, as she assumed earlier, most men ordered beers or some shots. She had Sweet Pea teaching the names of all their regulars, during the time that he wasn’t flirting with Veronica, while Toni taught her how to treat certain customers. Which men wanted a little ego boosting, and which ones weren’t allowed more than a few drinks. Toni was right, this was a very tight knit group. Betty learned that Sweet Pea and Veronica were fiances, while Toni and the boss named Cheryl Blossom were an item. Jughead seemed to be the only one who was alone, he spent most of the afternoon in the office, while Cheryl made a few appearances, he didn’t show up once. 

It was 11pm when Toni and Veronica headed off to the backroom and Sweet Pea poured himself a drink, Cheryl came downstairs not long after and also went into the backroom. The bar had started to slow down and most people found homes for themselves over at the pool tables or sitting on the barstools, Betty wasn’t sure what to do. 

“You know you can sit down.” Betty heard, causing her to jump back and nearly scream until she saw who it was. “For someone who isn’t scared of a bunch of guys in a gang, you sure are jumpy.” Jughead laughed. 

“I just didn’t expect you. You’ve had yourself locked upstairs all afternoon.” Betty stated, “The amount of women that I heard Toni tell you weren’t here, it was kind of sad, really.” 

Jughead chuckled, Saturday’s were famous for his one night stands and flings to show up asking for him. Whether they wanted free drinks, a good lay, or just some attention in general, it was Saturdays that he locked up himself up for the most. Jughead was known for his use of women. He didn’t  _ commit.  _ He had fun. Woman after woman, night after night, he enjoyed having someone for a night that he wouldn’t have to see again. There was something about not knowing someone, yet knowing  _ everything  _ about their bodies that excited him. “Get used to it.”

Betty made a disgusted face and groaned, “So what, you use women and make them keep coming back begging for you?” She asked. It wasn’t like Betty could judge Jughead. The amount of men's bodies she collided with despite having a man who thought she was  _ his.  _ He was a good man, and Betty didn’t want to hurt him, but she could never tie herself down to one person. It was like she wasn’t made for that type of life. Jughead stared at her blankly, if there was one thing he never did, it was kiss and tell. “I admire that.” She smiled. 

“You admire that?” He asked, confused at her choice of words. 

“Most women would judge you. Call you a woman user, give some big speech on how wrong it is. But really, is there anything wrong with having a little fun?” Betty asked, leaning against the wall behind her, crossing her arms as she stood in front of Jughead who was leant against the bar. 

“And you? Do you like to have a little fun? He asked, intrigued by the woman in front of him. When they’d run into each other in front of his apartment, he thought she was beautiful, her emerald eyes were striking and he’d never seen eyes that he thought he could get lost in. When they spoke Pop’s, it made his heart race, never once had he met a woman who challenged him. And when she showed up here for an interview, Jughead was silently pleased. He wanted to get to know this knew woman in town, she was...different, and he appreciated different. 

“I like what I like, Jones.” Jughead went to say something else, but was stopped by the sound of Toni and Cheryl laughing behind them. 

“Well, well, look who decided to join us.” Toni chuckled, patting Jughead on the back. “I’m headed off, Jones. Which means you’ll just have to give my lovely woman here a ride home. Betty, it was nice to work with you, and I have a feeling you’re not going anywhere. I’ll see you tomorrow, Sweets and Ronnie don’t come around on Sundays, so it’ll just be the four of us.” 

“Blondie.” Cheryl said, “As much as I love your look, you’ll need one of the uniforms for your shift here.” She nodded her head towards Toni, who, Betty hadn’t noticed was in the same outfit as Veronica. Short black shorts and a matching black t-shirt that said “White Wyrm” in the top left corner in bright white letters. 

“I’ll put an order in for another uniform tomorrow morning.” Jughead intervened, “Come upstairs with me for a moment.” Betty was surprised, but she wasn’t about to argue with her new  _ boss.  _ She said her goodbyes to Toni and headed upstairs with Jughead. He sat down at his desk and pulled out a notepad, “This is number, message me in the morning with your size so I know what to order.” 

“Okay.” Betty answered, looking down at the black ink across a lined white paper. She hadn’t been in Riverdale long, and today was only the beginning, but something told her she would like it here. 


	2. Just Some Fun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I couldn't come up with a summary for this one, however, I'm putting a warning on from here on out. This is the first chapter that contains smut, no, this is not a slow burn by any means lol, and there will be smut as the story progresses as well!

Betty arrived home from the bar at about 1am, for some reason, unable to stop herself from thinking about a man with dark black hair and striking blue eyes. Jughead Jones was simply like no one she had ever met. The way he came across, so strong and confident, yet calm and collected all at once made his features much more attractive. He looked after his workers at the bar, and it was clear he loved all of his employees, well, besides Betty at least. Although the group had an amazing set up, Betty felt like she belonged, and she was confident that this would work out for the better. Having hope wasn’t common for Betty, but here, she did. 

Betty woke early that morning and for the first time, had absolutely no problem with the blaring sun. She looked down at her phone much like the morning before, and thought about the number that was tucked underneath it. She decided that this would be a game, Betty could have easily given Jughead her size last night at the bar, but instead, he gave her his number. She thought that meant something, and so, she would have a little fun of her own. After all, if he needed her size so bad, they lived across the hall from each other, he could simply knock on the door and ask for it. Smiling to herself, Betty got up from her bed and headed into the bathroom for a shower. 

Like always, Jughead had been up at the crack of dawn. He made himself a protein shake before throwing on his sweats and a black hoodie and heading outside for his morning run. But today, stopping and looking at the apartment across from his own, more so, wondering about the woman  behind the door. Jughead knew he could have asked Betty for her clothing sizes last night, but for some reason, he  _ wanted  _ her to have his number. It wasn’t like Jughead to be the one wanting anything, so, he silently hoped that she wanted him enough to message him. 

When he arrived home two hours later, there was still no message from her. Sure, she could still have been sleeping, but that didn’t stop him from thinking maybe he’d been given the wrong signals last night. Maybe, Betty’s idea of fun didn’t involve him, but something about her attitude and the way she looked at him, he wouldn’t mind having fun with her. Jughead decided he would stop looking at his phone like a desperate joke and have a shower before heading to the Pop’s, and then the bar. It was a Sunday and they wouldn’t be busy, but he wanted to order Betty’s outfit and work out some quirks with the leader of the Southside Serpents about having a new employee at the bar. Despite Betty seeming like the type of girl who could hold her own, he needed the gang to know there was now some things they couldn’t do or say with her around. She was nice, but she wasn’t  _ trustworthy.  _ Not yet. Checking his phone after his shower, still no message from Betty. The morning was turning into the afternoon and he couldn’t believe that someone was capable of sleeping for so long, but still refusing to be the first to make a move, he walked by her apartment and headed to Pop’s for a meal. 

Betty had her shower, and much like the day before, threw on a comfortable outfit and headed off to Pop’s for a late breakfast. She arrived and decided that this was going to be much more fun if she pushed a little further, taking a seat at the back of the diner, exactly where she had the day before, and ignored all the looks and whispers from around her. 

Jughead stopped in his tracks when he entered the diner, seeing a familiar blonde in his booth. Smirking to himself, he began walking and headed over to his seat. “Did you not get the memo?” 

“Well, Mr. Jones, I know I was told to stay away, but-” Betty leaned in closer to him, “Where’s the fun in that?” She asked. 

“What is your idea of fun, Elizabeth.” Betty was taken aback, how could he possibly know her real name? Then again, with a quick search on the net, Betty was sure she could find a million different things. So, she chose to ignore her feeling at the use of his name and smirked once again. 

“Since you asked.” She sat back, creating more space in between them, “I love going to the gym and hitting the bag.” Betty said, causing Jughead’s eyes to go wide once more. How was it that this one woman made him feel so many things in such a short amount of time? “I love getting all hot and sweaty, using my hands-” Betty stopped her words when she saw the way Jughead’s eyes went dark with want. Before she can say anything else, a waitress comes up to them,

“Jughead, I’m assuming your usual.” She smiles at him. Betty has trouble holding back her scoff at the way the waitress is fawning over Jughead, she looks ready to jump the man. He simply smiles and nods, with absolutely no interest in her that it almost makes Betty feel bad for the poor girl. “And you?” She turned to Betty, giving her a nasty look and the scoff that Betty released wasn’t intended. 

“I’ll just take a sausage and egg combo breakfast with the orange juice.” Betty said, turning to Jughead and choosing to ignore the side eye she was being given by their waitress. “Please tell me you haven’t slept with her.” She laughed. 

“Her? God no.” Jughead scoffed, instantly feeling guilt for how rude it sounded, but then again not being sorry because it was the truth.

“Now, I think it’s only fair that since I told you my idea of fun. You tell me yours.” Betty smirks, this time, leaning in again so she and Jughead are a mere few inches apart. “Tell me, what makes your heart race.” Jughead can feel her breathe against his skin as she speaks and he curses the goosebumps that run down his arms, happy that his wardrobe is nothing but long sleeves. 

Jughead decided if Betty was going to play, he would teach her how it’s done. “I love writing. Having all control with the movement of my fingers.” He said, stopping at the sight of her blushed cheeks. 

“You really like to have control, it seems.” Betty stated, in the past two days it had become obvious Jughead was a man who held a lot of control in the small town. People seemed to run the other way when he walked in, they did as he asked without question, and stood up for him, even when he wasn’t around. “Too bad really.” 

“Why is that?” Jughead asked, intrigued as to why Betty thought his need for control was such a bad thing. 

“Because so do I.” She said simply, smirking once more before sitting back once again and waiting for their food to arrive. 

It was odd how comfortable it felt to just sit there and eat breakfast together, not much was said after Betty admitted she liked having control. Besides Jughead asking what her size was, causing her to smile slightly as that was what caused all of this in the first place, there wasn’t anything else said. They sat there in silence and enjoyed their meals. However, when the plates were empty and cheques paid, the talking had to be done. 

“Come a little early for your shift tonight.” Jughead said, before getting out of his seat and  walking out of the diner. Betty sat there in shock, wondering why he would want her there early, especially on a Sunday. Of course, she had her guesses, but they all crossed the lines for people who had only known each other a day. 

After a few more minutes of relaxation, Betty left the diner and headed back to her apartment to get changed. She grabbed her work clothes and put them in her gym bag, deciding to shower and change there before heading over to the White Wyrm. Betty had looked up gyms in the area and found one down in the Southside that luckily wasn’t too far away from the bar, and after the  morning she’d had, a good workout was exactly what she needed. 

Her mind was stuck on Jughead as she wrapped her hands and hit the bag, over and over again. Her heart racing as his face was all she could see, her body feeling weak quicker than normal as his words ran through her head. Jughead made Betty lose control, and she didn’t like that. 

After his breakfast with Betty, Jughead needed fresh air. He left the diner after telling her to come to the bar early, and drove to Sweetwater River. It was where Jughead came when he needed to clear his head, whether it be to write or just look at the water, he was always calmer after spending time on the rocks. The only woman that ever caused Jughead to need to clear his head was his mother, and he couldn’t believe a woman he’d met only the day before had him feeling this way. He looked at the large waves and thought about how fast they were moving. For years now, his life had been set. He got up every morning, went for a run, returned home to shower before heading to Pop’s for a breakfast and then heading to the bar and spending the day in his office. On occasion, he would come downstairs and pick a woman there by her lonesome before going back to their apartments or homes, always refusing to bring them back to his flat. But now, he had this woman who was a part of his everyday life, and all he  _ wanted  _ to do was bring her back to his apartment. Just like those waves, his life was moving fast. 

Betty finished up at the gym, and when she arrived at the White Wyrm, it was fairly empty. Only two or three people in her view from the entrance, and shew knew from last night that they were the type of people to sleep there because they had no homes to go to. She looked around, and saw that Jughead wasn’t downstairs, so, against her better judgement, Betty headed for the staircase. When she entered the first room of her right, Jughead was sitting at his desk. His outfit hadn’t changed since they last saw each other at Pop’s, but something seemed different. Tossing down the papers he was looking over, Jughead tilted his head up and saw Betty, 

“Hey.” He said, sighing slightly before continuing, “Wasn’t sure you’d actually come early.” 

“Well, can’t say no to my new boss, now can I?” She chuckled, taking a step forward closer to the desk. “But can I ask what it is you want?” Of course, Betty had a million ideas. There were things she wanted to do, and she would be far from discouraged if Jughead did as well. 

“I think it’s right that I get to know my newest employee.” Jughead stated, “I knew everyone here before we began working. It’s nice to have a connection with people you see on the daily.” He stood from his seat and walked over to Betty, they were now standing so close that with the smallest movement, their bodies would touch. 

“What kind of connection do you want with me?” Betty asked, tilting her head in a flirtatious movement. Jughead didn’t say anything, he raised his hands to cradle her face and leant in for a needy kiss. 

“A fun one.” He smiled, and this time, it was Betty’s turn to pull him in. 

Their kisses were hot and rushed, they craved each other and refused to waste another second of their time. Jughead’s hands found their way to Betty’s hair, and she struggled with his buttons as she didn’t want to take her lips away. When his shirt was finally undone, she slid it off his shoulders to reveal a strong, toned body and her hands found their way to his chest. Betty had been with men before, a large number of men, but none of them caused a warm pool between her legs with a make out and few hair tugs. The way Jughead’s hands roamed through her curls and then down her spine, grasping her ass before deepening the kiss and biting tongue and sucking made her lose all control. Jughead walked forward, their lips remaining connected as he slammed Betty against the door, a small gasp escaping from her lips at the unexpected feeling. Feeling more confident in herself, Betty put strength in to push Jughead away, and when she saw his confused facial expression, smirked before bending down on her knees and removing the belt from his pants. She relished in the sound of his moan as her lips connected with the tip of his cock, Betty thrived on being the reason such unholy sounds could come from someone’s mouth. 

“Fuck, Betts.” He moaned, the nickname falling from his mouth without even realising it. Betty tried not to think about it too much as she worked her mouth down his shaft and back up to the tip, a loud ‘pop’ sound coming from her mouth when she stopped. “Get on the desk.” Jughead demanded, wasting no time in helping Betty remove her tight black clothes before she did as he said. Jughead kissed her neck, moving down her chest, before focusing on her red lace thong and sliding it down her body. He looked down at heat and saw how wet she was for him, just the sight of her could set him over the edge. “You’re so wet.” Jughead whispered, but without another word slid his tongue over her clit. The moaning that fell from Betty’s lips were enough to satisfy him, she was completely in his control, and that was his favourite thing. 

“J-Jug, I need you inside me.” Betty moaned, her breathing heavy as Jughead continued to soak her clit with his tongue. “Get inside me.” She demanded, pulling him by the hair and she couldn’t ignore the smirk on his face as he looked her. Leaning in once again for a hungry kiss. As Jughead leant over Betty, he opened one of the drawers to his desk and pulled out a box of condoms, Betty raised her eyebrow and laughed. 

“Veronica and Sweet Pea.” Jughead said simply as he took out a condom and opened the packet. Betty helped him slip it on, and as she lay naked underneath him on the desk, he takes a moment to look at her body. She wasn’t kidding when she said she liked boxing, if her abs were any consolation. She wasn’t just a woman with a nice body, she was a woman with a  _ beautiful  _ body. Pulling his thoughts away from her looks, he asks, “You ready?” As Betty bit her lip, she nodded her head ‘yes’, and without warning, Jughead went fully into her. 

“Fuck.” Betty hissed as he rocked into her, he was groaning loudly and Betty felt like she was getting close to reaching her climax. “I-I’m gonna-”

“Me too.” He said, resting his head into her neck and leaving wet, sloppy, territorial marks all over her bare flesh. Jughead moved his lips to Betty’s as they reached their climaxes at the same time. Jughead pulled out and they were both sighing heavily, trying to catch their breath when someone knocked on the door. 

“Jones, open up.” A husky male voice said, and instantly, Jughead knew who it was. 

“That was fun.” Betty said, getting off the table to pull her clothes back on. Not bothering to say anything else as she got dressed, before opening the door and smiling at the man standing there and heading back downstairs. 

“You’ve turned to bringing women to the workplace now, have you?” The older man said, shaking his head as he closed the door behind him. 

“Not in the mood for a lecture, dad.” Jughead growled. He and his father had never had what someone would call an ideal relationship, truthfully, the only reason they still spoke is because Jughead is the one who owns the bar that his father’s gang practically lives in. Not to mention, the trailer park that nearly the entire gang’s family lives in. 

“All I have to say is she’s prettier than some of the others. I always did like blondes.” FP laughed. 

“Don’t bring it up when you see her.” Jughead said as he finished throwing the rest of his clothes on, before resting in his seat behind the desk he just had possibly some of the best sex of his life on. 

“What do you mean? When she shows up asking where you’re at? You know I never do.” 

“No, when you see her here about four or five times a week. Toni met her the other night and said she’d be good for a job. She’s our newest bartender and hopefully, she can waitress too.” FP’s eyes widened, he may not speak with his son much about personal things, but he knew enough that sleeping with someone who was part of his day to day life was not something Jughead did. “Don’t.” Was all he said before opening a drawer and tossing his father an envelope. 

FP sighed as he opened the envelope, revealing pictures of a number of his men doing drug deals. Something Jughead and his father always tried to keep away from the Southside and Riverdale as a whole was their previous fall out with a drug overtake. It was the main reason he purchased the Wyrm and Sunnyside trailer park, Jughead needed complete control. “Well, you better keep an eye out on that new employee of yours. She doesn’t need knowing about this stuff, we’ll talk with Blossom when she gets here, yes?” 

Jughead smiled, his father just had to bring Betty into this once again, but he would be lying if some part of him wasn’t thinking the same thing. “Yes.” Jughead said, taking the envelope back from his father and locking it safely in the desk drawer.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments mean the world!


	3. You Know Where To Find Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pieces of Betty's past come back to haunt her

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning!! There is minor description of violence in this chapter, so if it's not your cup of tea, please don't read
> 
> This chapter is shorter than what I want most of the chapters to be, it is 2.8k, but I promise the rest are above 3k!  
> Also, I was going to wait until Tuesday and post then, but I think I'm going to update Monday's and Friday's instead!!

As Betty walked back downstairs she realized she was absolutely screwed. Of all the men she’d been with in her life, Betty had no problem making it a one time thing and not going back. But with Jughead,  _ God,  _ there was just something about the way he made her feel. Her body was still tingling as she thought about the way he touched her, how his lips felt pressed against her neck, jawline, and clit. He certainly knew what he was doing, Betty felt herself get flushed before being pulled from her thoughts at the sound of someone calling her name. She looked up and Toni was standing there with Cheryl, devious smirks on both of their faces. Cheryl didn’t speak, she simply shook her head before walking off past Betty and up the stairs. 

“It’s a little unbelievable.” Toni laughed, continuing to shake her head as she walked behind the bar. 

“What?” Betty asked, she wasn’t blind, Betty knew that Toni and Cheryl were fully aware of what happened upstairs, but Jughead, from what Betty had learned was the type of guy to sleep around. 

“Jughead doesn’t sleep with people he knows.” She shrugged, taking the cloth from behind her and wiping down the bar counter. 

“Well, it’s not like he  _ knows  _ me.” Betty chuckled, “We met yesterday.” 

“Betty, that’s not what I mean.” Toni shook her head, “Jughead doesn’t sleep with people he has to see every day. He likes people he doesn’t know, people he can fuck and forget.” She sighed, “If you’re looking for more than a one time thing, don’t expect it.” 

“I appreciate the concern, but just because I’m a woman doesn’t mean I want a relationship with every man I sleep with.” Betty argued, coming up behind the bar with Toni and leaning against the wall, “If it was a one time thing, then that’s fine with me.” 

“I just-” Toni looked around, making sure no one else was around, “I know how alluring Jughead Jones can be, is all.” 

Betty’s eyes widened, had Toni been with Jughead before? But what about Cheryl? She shook her head, who Jughead had been with didn’t matter. Like she told Toni, if it was a one time thing, that it’s fine with her. 

 

The bar was slow, which wasn’t unnormal for a Sunday, and Betty felt ready to pass out by the end of her shift. She’d spent most of it behind the bar, standing and talking with Toni about anything and everything. She learned about how her and Cheryl met, why everyone at the bar was so close, and even got some background knowledge on the Southside Seprents. However, when the questions about Jughead owning the bar came around, the subject was changed. Normally, Betty would ask about things, she was never the type to go without information, but Toni seemed adamant on not going into any detail, and so, she decided to let it go. For now, at least. 

At the end of her shift, Betty noticed Jughead and Cheryl come downstairs, but unlike the previous day, they didn’t come to see Toni. Instead, the two of them walked over to three men who were at the pool table and looked to be holding a large envelope. If Betty could guess, she would say it was an envelope with pictures from a private investigator. 

“Toni?” Betty asked, the woman turned around to face her, “What are they doing?” She asked, pointing to Jughead and Cheryl at the far pool table. Toni turned to see them, and her eyes went wide, if there was ever anyone in the bar that they didn’t know personally, Jughead refused to do business. If he was doing it with Betty still here, this must be something serious going on. But she knew she couldn’t open her mouth on all the details, and the things she thought might be happening. So, Toni turned back to Betty and tried to hide the fear behind her eyes.

“I’m not sure.” She smiled, “I don’t know if Jughead has talked to you about a schedule or anything, but our busiest days are Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday. He also mentioned he’d have you here on Sundays just in case, most of your shifts during the week will be about 6 hours, but Saturdays we literally have no set time. Your inform should be delivered by your Wednesday shift, and you have my number if you want to chat outside of work.” Toni said, just like when the business was brought up, changing the subject. Betty smiled, realizing there was no point in worrying about it right now. She took one last glance at Jughead, who this time, caught her and nodded his head towards the door. He whispered something in Cheryl’s ear before heading over to Betty, they walked outside together. 

“Thanks for coming today.” Jughead smiled, and Betty knew it wasn’t just about doing her job that he was referring to. “Your next shift is Wednesday, and your uniform should be in by then.” He said. 

“Yeah, Toni mentioned that.” Betty replied, unsure of what else to say. For the first time around Jughead, being completely speechless. “I’m sure I’ll see you at Pop’s before then.” They both laughed, and he nodded his head, he was sure of it too. Without another word, Jughead walked back into the Wyrm. 

Betty was heading down the street to where she parked her car when she heard a commotion coming from a back alley. She looked around her and realized no one else was in sight, so she was probably the only one who could hear the noise. Against her better judgement, Betty headed towards the alley that the noise was coming from and stopped in shock when she saw a man down on the ground, drenched in what looked like a mix of his own blood, and the blood from someone else. Presumably, the blood of the man who stood before him with a gun pressed against his temple. This certainly was the first time Betty saw someone have a gun pointed at them, but this felt different. Her heart began racing as the man holding the gun looked up, and his eyes met with hers. “Hey! You!” He yelled, dropping the gun and chasing after her. Betty wa grateful for her choice of small heeled combat boots today as she ran back to the White Wyrm quicker than she could have with other foot wear. Before she got too far, the man tumbled her to the ground and had his hand around her neck. Betty was gasping for air, but she threw one punch and his grip loosened, she kneed him in the groin before throwing another punch and connecting her fist with his stomach and getting him off her completely. Betty decided that tonight, she didn’t need her car. She left the man on the ground and ran off, not daring to look back as she headed for her apartment. 

 

It was Monday morning when Betty finally felt the results of last night. Her entire body ached and she groaned in pain as she got off her bed, holding her ribs and hissing as she walked to the bathroom. When Betty got in front of the mirror, she saw the way her face was scarred, of course, not nearly as bad as the rest of her body from the fall to the ground, but enough to cause suspicion. It wasn’t until she lifted her shirt up to see the bruises along her torso that Betty realized whoever she ran into last night really meant serious business. She couldn’t see his face, as it was covered by a black mask, but there was something so  _ familiar  _ about it. Of course, it could just be someone Betty met when she used be around violent men on the daily, she had met her fair share of men who carried around guns and didn’t back away from hurting a woman, but it seemed like  _ more  _ than that. Betty thought back to Jughead and Cheryl, and the envelope they handed to the men at the pool table. It was a dark yellow envelope, and large like printed off pictures from p.i’s, did the envelope contain something that could damage those men at the pool table? Or were they images that could help them? She sighed at the thought, her mind spinning at all the possibilities. As Betty finished washing up her face and cleaning the dried blood along her cheekbones, she jumped at the sound of her phone ringing. She sighed once more and headed back out to her bedroom where her phone was on the nightstand. It was Toni. 

“I don’t know details, Betty, but Jughead said he needs you here and now.” Toni said, her voice serious and worried at the same time. 

“I’ll be there soon.” Betty answered, before hanging up the phone and realizing she had to cover these marks on her face before going anywhere. Not to mention her car was down the road from the White Wyrm which meant she would have to walk. All Betty was certain of was that she hoped Jughead didn’t want a replay of the previous night, she was not physically capable of doing that. 

Betty put some subtle foundation and blush over her face before opting for a casual look and heading off to the Wyrm. Her walk to the bar was met with stares from people around her, obviously, they weren’t used to new people in town. She was thankful when she finally arrived at the bar, and released a sigh of relief as she entered inside. Toni was at the bar, sitting with Cheryl when she came in. “He’s upstairs.” Cheryl said coldly, turning back to her cherry-cola and talking with Toni. 

 

Betty entered Jughead’s office without knocking and took a step back in shock when she saw who he was with, the man from last night. Of course, she wasn’t sure because he had a mask on then, but she  _ felt  _ it. “Betty.” Jughead said, pointing to a seat beside the man. 

“You think I’m about to sit beside the man who attacked me?” Betty snapped, “Not a chance in hell, Jones.” 

“Last I checked, I’m the boss.” Jughead growled, “I make the rules around here, and you’re going to sit down or you’ll regret it.” Betty wanted to tell Jughead to go fuck himself, that she wasn’t scared of him and didn’t care, but there was something in the way he was talking. She couldn’t just say no. So, Betty sat down and crossed her arms over her chest, waiting for him to speak. Betty took another look at the man beside her and realized,  _ oh shit,  _ she knew him. “Well, Elizabeth, I’m sure you’ve realized by now that the man sitting beside you has actually met you before now...and last night.” Jughead sighed, he leaned forward and placed his arms on the desk, “I’d like to ask you a question before anything else is said, did the Dragons send you?” Betty sat back, her mouth falling open in shock. 

“How-” 

“How did I know? You’re Elizabeth Jackson, previously Cooper, I’ve got to hand it to you, ya sure now to pick em. Your husband has three accounts of attempted murder, he’s done two prison sentences for drug deals, and his hospital record goes as far back as his 11th year for breaking his wrist when he beat someone up at school.” Jughead stated, a cocky smile on his lips. Right now, he had complete control. 

“Last night, you knew who I was.” Betty said, turning to the man beside her, “What are you doing here?” 

“Answer my question first, did the Dragons send you?” Jughead hit the desk, demanding an answer. 

“No!” Betty yelled, standing up and stomping her foot, “No one fucking sent me, Jughead. I left.” She turned to face the man again, “And you know that. I have no doubt that Ray absolutely lost it when I left, you know I wasn’t sent here. You know that I left and you know damn well why too.” Her face was turning red as she got angrier, the whole point of leaving  _ him, _ and leaving that behind was to start fresh. Not run into her past and get stuck all over again. “Why are you even fucking here.” Betty snapped. 

“Sit down, Betty.” Jughead said, his tone dark and rough, but she refused, and he sighed, “Sit down.” He demanded, feeling himself get angrier as well. “There is more to this than you realize, so sit down and keep your mouth shut.” 

“You didn’t seem to mind me having my mouth open yesterday.” Betty retorted as rage boiled inside of her, “Don’t think that because you’re a man you can tell me what to do. I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself, as someone learned last night.” She said, turning her head to the man once again. 

“My real name is Kevin Keller, and I’ve been in the Serpents for as long as I can remember.” He sighed, resting his feet on Jughead’s desk. “We found out some of our men were doing drug trades with the Dragons, and we’ve worked hard to keep drugs out of Riverdale for years. So, I was sent undercover to get close to Ray and his right hand men to get more information on the way they operate.” He looked at Jughead, waiting for him to nod his head before continuing, “When I came at you last night, it’s because I knew who you were and didn’t want Ray finding out I was in Serpent territory or getting more information on me. It would’ve blown our entire cover.” 

“Let me make one thing clear to you. Both of you.” Betty said harshly, “I have  _ nothing  _ to do with Ray. We got married young, and that was my mistake, but I’ve left it all behind. He is a terrible man, and if he found out where I was, I’d be royally fucked. I know bits and pieces about the Serpents from being around the gang life for so long, but I don’t know what you’re capable of, just like you have no idea what he is capable of.” 

“You’re scared of him?” Kevin asked, confused. 

Betty chuckled, “I’m not  _ scared  _ of anyone. But when people know too much about you, it gets to be dangerous.” She said, without another word, Betty was walking out of the room. Ignoring both Kevin and Jughead calling for her.  

Betty stormed down the stairs of the White Wyrm and continued to ignore both Toni and Cheryl as she left. She walked down the road and went to get her car, taking a moment to stop and look at the building. Betty could try to fool herself and say she was leaving  _ that  _ life behind, but as she stood looking at the White Wyrm, it was the exact same as the old bar she spent most of her time in. The only thing that changed were the people inside, and even then, they weren’t all that different. And although she didn’t know him well, Jughead resembled her ex husband a little too much. Betty silently cursed herself as she thought about what happened. She slept with a man she didn’t know, which, wasn’t uncommon for her, but he was a man that did know too much about her. What she said to Kevin was the truth, nobody scared her, but people  _ knowing  _ things about her, absolutely terrified her. Betty had a wall up, she never let anyone in, and that meant not allowing people to know who she was, what she had done, but especially, how she felt. 

Betty hadn’t realized how long she had stood there for until she felt someone touch her arm and she saw Jughead. “You can’t just storm out like that.” He said.

“You can’t tell me what to do.” Betty argued back, “I get it, you’re a control freak. But I’m not like every other girl, I’m not going to fall at your feet and do as you say. I’m not sure how someone who seems as smart as Toni ever did.” Jughead’s eyes widened before he chuckled lightly. 

“Well, I see you and Toni have talked.” He rubbed his hand over his face before adding, “I know Ray personally, and if he ever found out about us, I’d be the one he killed. Whether it was a one time thing or not. I know you don’t need it, but I’m going to keep you protected. Anyone in the Serpents involved with the Dragons are already hanging on by a thread, he’s not going to find out you’re here.” 

“Well, I appreciate that.” Betty said, smiling slightly, “I know you have work and all, but if you get bored or anything, you know where to find me.” She added, before heading off to her car. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come find me on Tumblr, @srainebuggie


	4. Only Forever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty's past is finally revealed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter is EXTREMELY dark. I don't want to spoil, but there is mentions of self harm, violence, and death. So please, read at your own risk
> 
> Also, a shoutout to @anasteeles on Tumblr for not being an amazing beta, but also supporting this fic and creating a BEAUTIFUL Instagram edit!

Betty had now been working at the White Wyrm for over two months. She had grown close to Toni and they hung out regularly outside of work. She had easily become her best friend in Riverdale, but she also had weekly hangouts with Veronica. The two women were complete opposites: Toni was a clear southside girl who grew up surrounded by leather and motorcycles; Veronica, on the other hand had a much more enlightening childhood. With things like family dinners at the fanciest of restaurants, a new set of pearls every year for her birthday, penthouse sized bedrooms, it really didn’t make all that sense to anyone else why Veronica chose working at a run down biker gang bar over owning a multi-billionaire company. But Betty, she understood. Of course, she wouldn’t tell Veronica that. Still, no one knew about her past, but behind her comforting smile was a little girl who knew all too well what it was like for Veronica. Betty had gotten to know Cheryl a little better, most of the information about her came from Toni. But she had grown up in the town of Riverdale, and gone to school with Veronica her entire life. When Southside high was closed down, the two cheerleaders met the three stooges. Toni, Sweet Pea, and Jughead. Apparently at first, Cheryl wanted nothing to do with Toni until her twin brother was murdered and it was Toni and Jughead who helped crack the case. While Sweet Pea never missed the opportunity to chat up a woman, even with his partner glaring at him, he too, had grown up on the Southside like Toni and swears that it wasn’t until his senior year in high school when he met Veronica that life suddenly had a new meaning. It was a cliche, but Betty found it adorable. 

 

And then, there was Jughead. Of course, all Betty’s co-workers mentioned him here and there, saying his name as he was a clear part of their pasts, but it never went further than that. After their conversation with Kevin, Betty and Jughead found themselves in a situation. Living across the hall from each other, and working together four days a week made not seeing each other very hard. Soon, their one night stand became much more than that, and they fell into the routine of daily hookups. Whether it be on Betty’s break, before and after her shifts, or whenever one of them knocked on the other’s apartment door, there had barely been a day in the last month that they didn’t spend together in some way. Betty enjoyed it-- being with Jughead, it was  _ fun. He was fun.  _ What scared Betty was the way she found herself thinking more recently, as she learned about her co-workers, there was this aching part of her that wanted to learn more about Jughead. 

 

They were together in his office, much like their first time together as she lay beneath him, completely exposed. “Jug.” Betty says, but it comes out as much more of a moan when he roams his tongue and lips over her torso. 

“Mmm, yes baby?” Jughead asked, he had been calling her baby much more lately when they were in the moment. To be honest, Betty wasn’t even sure he knew he was saying it. She went to respond, but no words came out as his teeth bit her hard nipple and his fingers found their way to her clit. “You’re so wet for me.” He groaned as he continued to bite and sex on her swollen breast. Betty tried to get words out once more, but lost all senses as he slipped one finger inside of her. Her back arched, accepting the movement, and forgot completely what she wanted to talk to about. 

“Fuck, Juggie.” Betty moaned. He slipped another finger inside of her and she gripped onto his hair as some sort of stability. Jughead entered a third finger inside of Betty and used his thumb to rub her clit, relishing in the sound of her angelic moans but devilish words as she came around his fingers. “Jug.” She breathed, letting his hair go and pulling him up for a wet, sloppy kiss. 

“You’re always so good.” He chuckled, kissing her back with all his strength. “I really don’t want you to go.” Jughead said, moving his kisses to her cheek, and then down her jawline. 

Betty chuckled lightly, before pushing him away, “I know, but I have to.” She smiled at him, “What if-” She began, but stopped herself. 

“What if?” Jughead asked. 

Betty blushed, and tilted her head so Jughead couldn’t see her face. “What if we...I don’t know, after my shift, like, hang out?” Jughead stopped. He and Betty had never really established what  _ this  _ was. They had no official name for it, and although every time they went off together, they would tell people that they were hanging out, this felt different. Normally, they decided they wanted to have sex in the moment, and then head off as soon as possible to do so. But now, Betty’s shift wasn’t done for a few more hours and here she was, hiding her face as she asked to hang out. “Never mind, it’s stupid.” Betty said. Noticing that he had yet to speak, she stood from the desk and struggled to get her uniform back on. Jughead stood quickly, grabbing Betty by the arm and pulling her back to him. 

“Wait.” He sighed, “We could go back together, hang out at my place.” Jughead pulled her in, wrapping his arms around her waist, but she fought out of his grip. 

“I have to get back to work.” She said quietly, before turning around and heading out of the office. 

 

Jughead made his way down to the bar. Jughead had appeared downstairs today more than ever before, actually. Everyone had started to notice that since Betty started, he was being more social in general. But today’s shift, Betty was lucky if she turned around and he wasn’t there. It was Sunday, so the bar was far from busy and Toni and Cheryl were the only other two there working, which made it much easier for them to notice and mention Jughead. By the time her shift ended, Betty managed to get out of the bar without Jughead seeing her, but it wasn’t until she was walking down the streets of the Southside and heard the all-too familiar voice that she knew why she hadn’t seen him. Betty could only see the back of the two men, but she knew it was Kevin and Jughead. It wasn’t until another man stepped into view that she felt her entire body go weak.

“Well, well.” The man chuckled, causing Jughead and Kevin to turn around, both their eyes wide at seeing Betty. But there was something else behind Jughead’s eyes, almost like it was fear. “So, it really is true then.” 

“Leave her alone.” Jughead growled, turning back to face the man, who proceeded to step forward so he was only inches away from Jughead. No words were shared before Betty stood between both of the men, placing her hand on Jughead’s chest to push him away. “Betts-” 

“Jug, go. I got this.” She said, looking at him,  _ trying  _ to hide her own pain. “Go.” 

Against his better judgement, Jughead stepped back, attempting to trust Betty with the situation and forced Kevin to follow him. He spared her one last glance before heading back to the bar, ignoring the voice in his head to tell him to turn around and save her. It just wasn’t his place. No matter how much he wished it was.

 

\--

 

When Betty returned back to her apartment a few hours later, Jughead was sitting at her kitchen table waiting for her. She jumped back at the sight of him, and slammed her door shut. There was worry behind his eyes, but the anger was much more apparent. “Where have you been?” He asked, tilting his head to face Betty, but not moving from his seat at the table. 

“You know where I was.” Betty said, hanging her coat up and proceeding to walk into the kitchen. Grabbing herself a beer from the fridge, she motioned to ask Jughead if he’d like one. 

“Seriously? You’re asking me if I want a beer right now?” Jughead snapped, hitting his hands off the wooden kitchen table.  

“What else am I supposed to do?” Betty yelled back, “Grab myself one and pretend you’re not in my house?” 

“No!” He stood from the table, pacing around the room, “But you could stop acting like everything is fine.” Jughead sighed, running his hand over the back of his neck, “You could tell me what the fuck you were thinking going off with that man!” 

“It doesn’t matter.” Betty threw her beer at the wall, “Excuse me for looking after the person I love.” Betty hadn’t even realized what she said until she saw the look on Jughead’s face. His eyes were wide, and the angry demeanor turned into a look of hope. 

“Did you just-” 

“NO!” Betty screamed, “No, no, no.” There were tears building up in her eyes, and she pushed Jughead out of the apartment. Betty slammed her door shut before collapsing to the ground in a fit of sobs. 

Betty didn’t do  _ love.  _ Sure, maybe she loved all her co-workers, but that was different. That was a friendship, and it didn’t equal to the same thing as the love she meant when it came to Jughead. Betty could hear Jughead asking for her from outside the door, and her heart broke at the thought of him. How could she have been so stupid? It was  _ never  _ supposed to be like this. 

 

\--

 

Betty stood outside of the infamous LA club, and she thought back to all the times she’d spent there. Her all black outfits and tough attitude was created because of the place in front of her. The place she had to leave. Betty had seen her fair share of violence over the years, and she wasn’t innocent in any shape, way, or form, but her life was now changed forever. It wasn’t like she could stay here, in a town where everywhere she turned, there was a reminder of  _ him.  _ Betty’s husband, Ray Jackson, he knew what she did, and she saw it every time she looked at him. He saw the monster she was underneath, and he knew what terrible things she had done. Betty couldn’t take it, the look in his eyes when he saw her with blood stained hands, like he was  _ proud.  _ It didn’t matter how angry Betty got, it didn’t matter how bad a person was, she would never kill. Not until that night, at least. 

It had been the middle of the night when Betty crawled out of their bed, trying to be as quiet as possible as she slipped on an outfit and took one last look at her husband before leaving. She hated herself for what she did, and just knew that if she stayed, there would be no way she could escape that life. Of course, Betty knew the risks. Ray Jackson was one of the most feared gang leaders of all time, and he had more than his fair share of sources and connections, but she had to get out. Accepting her fate that she may not live a long life, anything would be better than staying with a man who lead her to do the worst thing imaginable. 

Now, here she was. Stood in front of the place that had practically been home for years, before taking off with her car and heading to somewhere new...anywhere but here. 

 

\--

 

Betty looked at her shaking hands as she sat sobbing against her door. All she could picture was the way her ex husband looked at her when he saw her with shaking hands, but more so, the way he pulled her in and whispered, “I love you.” That night, when Betty said it back, was the last time she told another person she loved them. Betty stood herself up, wiping away the tears to the best of her ability, and set her hand on the door knob. Jughead was still out there, still banging on her door asking for her to open it. So, she did. He had been crying too, and suddenly, her heart felt like it shattered into a million and one pieces. 

“Betty.” Jughead whispered, putting his hands on her cheeks, “I love you.” 

“No.” She repeated, “You won’t after I tell you this.” He looked at her confused, and that’s when he noticed it: the half moon shaped scars on her palms. Jughead had seen them a few times before over the past month, but he never asked, afraid of pushing her away or hitting a nerve. Except unlike all times before, the wounds were fresh. “I was protecting you when I chose to talk to him, but I was protecting me too.” 

“Come on.” Jughead said, leading her back into her apartment and shutting the door behind them. He and Betty walked over to her living area, both taking a seat on the couch and he waited for her to speak first.

“I’m not who you think I am.”  Betty whispered, almost too quiet for Jughead to hear. 

“I know who you are.” He said, turning to face her completely, “I know about Ray.” 

“No, Jughead. You have no idea who I am.” She whimpered. Her lungs feeling like they were filled with smoke. She couldn’t breathe. It was too much like that night. “Do you remember that night you asked me why I left?” Jughead nodded. He remembered that night like it had just happened, always on replay in his mind. It was the first time he realized that he did indeed have feelings for Betty Cooper. It was two weeks ago, a Saturday night, and she was working. A few new men were there, and one of them tried getting handsy with his waitresses. Sweet Pea stood up for Veronica, but when one of the men tried grabbing Betty, he felt his blood boil. Jughead had never moved across that bar so fast, taking the man by his collar and throwing him out onto the cold hard pavement. Betty was shaking, and Jughead had never seen her with her guard down. He pulled her off the floor, bringing her to his office, and Betty assumed they were going to do what they always did. But it wasn’t like that, Jughead was concerned, even if he didn’t say it out loud. “I told you to drop it, that it didn’t matter. But Jug, it does matter.” A stray tear fell down her cheek, and Jughead wiped it away, cupping her cheek as he lightly sobbed. 

“I know that what we’ve been doing...we’ve called it just sex. But it’s not, Betts, okay. It’s not, and you can tell me anything.” The words sent a shiver down Betty’s spine; she had never felt like this before. Betty pulled away, suddenly feeling guilty.

“I left because I did something terrible, Jughead.” 

He smiled, as if to reassure her, “I’m sure whatever it was, I’ve done worse.” And maybe that was true. It’s very possible that Jughead could have done worse, but Betty had never done worse herself. What she did never left her. It was in her head every second, as she took her feelings out on the punching bag, or when it was the middle of the night and she went to Jughead’s door, hoping and praying for him to be able to distract her. Only now, Jughead wasn’t just a distraction. Somewhere down the line, he became much more. Jughead noticed the way her hands were clenched, and suddenly felt like he shouldn’t have said that. “You can tell me anything.” He whispered, moving closer to her again, and resting a hand on her arm as a sign of comfort. 

“I killed someone.” She blurted. Out of nowhere, a sense of anger over took her. “I left because I fucking killed someone.” Betty pulled herself away from Jughead once again, and stood up. She walked halfway across the room, standing directly in front of the window. “I lived in this 60 storey building in LA. One night when Ray wasn’t home, one of his old friends showed up. Except, I didn’t know that they weren’t friends anymore. Ray did something to piss him off.” Betty scoffed, “Which isn’t all that surprising in it’s own, but this guy wanted to get revenge.” She stopped, and walked over to the window and placing her hand on the cold glass, “He came after me, and I just panicked. I hadn’t been to the gym in so long. I didn’t know how strong I was, but then I pushed him and he just...he fell through the glass.” Betty turned to face Jughead, “It was the middle of the night. We lived in a less busy area. I ran downstairs, drove the truck around and put his body in it. Then I went to this bar that is basically the Dragon’s lair, called Ray, and that was it.”  

Jughead sat there with his eyes wide and mouth agape. He was completely and utterly speechless. Jughead had seen countless dead bodies, he was even the reason behind a few of them, but never in a million years could he have predicted that Betty would have killed someone.Trying to gather his thoughts, Jughead stood from the couch and walked over to Betty, “It’s okay.” He whispered, pulling her in for a hug, wrapping his arms around her body as she finally gave in and accepted his comfort. “It’s okay.” At this point, he wasn’t sure if he was telling her or himself that, but it needed to be said. 

“I need to go.” Betty said, pulling away from Jughead. Before he had the chance to stop her, she was running out the front door. Jughead ran after her, but she managed to get out of sight before he stepped foot on the pavement out front. Sighing, Jughead headed back upstairs and grabbed his phone. There really was only one person he could talk to about this. 

Jughead sat in his apartment, head in his hands as he heard the phone dialling, waiting impatiently for someone to answer. “Jones.” Jughead heard, the voice causing him to jump back slightly. “What do I owe the pleasure?” 

“Jackson.” Jughead said, feeling sick to his stomach just saying the name, “How do you feel about a trip to Riverdale?” It wasn’t set in stone that his plan would work, but now, Jughead was hanging on to just about anything. A part of him thought it was the last thing he should be doing, this was Betty’s (not technically) ex-husband after all. But then, maybe he was  _ exactly _ who Jughead needed. 

“You know I haven’t travelled home since high school, why would I now?” Ray scoffed. 

“Betty.” Jughead said, and all it took was for that one name to change everything. Ray sat up in his seat, putting out his cigarette, and left the room. He wasn’t about to speak about Betty around anyone else. 

Standing outside against the cold brick wall of the LA bar, Ray asked, “What makes you think you have the right bringing her up to me?” 

Ray was right, Jughead was the last person who had the right to say her name- Especially to him. He remembered the night he got the call telling him that his wife was gone. Then one night, he got a visit from Toni and as soon as he heard the name, Jughead knew he had to give her the job. Unfortunately, he never expected it to turn out the way he did. There was a tinge of guilt inside of him the first time they slept together, he wasn’t only lying to Betty, but doing something like that with the wife of a man he’d known his entire life. Eventually, the guilt was covered up with his feelings for her. How Ray could have ever let the woman go blew his mind. But then, Betty told him the truth and he understood. “Jones.” Ray growled harshly. “Do you know something about Betty?” 

“She’s here, man.” Jughead sighed, “She’s been in Riverdale for about two months.” Jughead could feel the anger radiating off the man on the other end of the line. “She’s been working at the Wyrm.” 

Ray punched the brick wall he had previously been leaning against, “What the fuck, Jones.” He yelled, “I’ll be in Riverdale by the morning.” Without another word, Ray hung up the phone. 

 


	5. You Don't Know Me (At All)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty confronts her ex-husband, while she learns that he shares history with Jughead and more past secrets are revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd just like to say that the response to this fic has been so incredibly overwhelming in the BEST way possible. It has easily been the hardest few months of my life and to be able to write out my feelings into a wild fic like this and get SO MUCH LOVE makes me so very happy. So, thank you to everyone for reading (even if you didn't like it), leaving kudos, and especially those who take the time to leave comments. 
> 
> Also, a special shoutout to my friend/beta @anasteeles for being so quick at getting this beta'd and for being the best cheerleader. If you want amazing gifs, check out her Tumblr.

After admitting to Jughead the truth Betty kept inside of herself for what like forever, she ran off in fear and didn’t stop until she physically couldn’t. Despite living in Riverdale for over two months, Betty had no idea where she was by the time she stopped running. It looked to be an old shut down drive-in, and thankfully, the building was still in a good enough condition to house someone. Betty looked around, making sure no one else was around or that this wasn’t a shelter to a homeless person. When she saw the building was safe and empty, Betty shut the door and fell against it. How could she have told Jughead that? There was only one other  _ living  _ person who knew about what she did and that was Ray. When Betty saw Jughead’s reaction, she suddenly wasn’t sure which was worse. Ray being  _ proud,  _ or Jughead being  _ ashamed.  _ With Ray, the look of respect on his face scared her:  she didn’t want that. What Betty did, - _ killing  _ a man-, was terrible and she didn’t want someone to look at her like they looked up to her. But then with Jughead, it had become clear to her in that moment, she truly did love him; because never in her life had someone looking at her with pure shame ever make her body fall apart. Betty was used to it growing up, never being good enough, and that’s why she created the person she was now. Except somehow, Jughead saw  _ her,  _ and he wanted that person. That was, until tonight. Jughead was right. they had never talked about being more than just sex, but she felt it in her heart that they were anything but  _ just _ sex. It was clear from the moment they laid their eyes on each other that he was going to change her life, and she was going to change his. But she never expected that to mean that she would be willing to tell him her deepest and darkest truth, until she did. 

Betty wrapped her arms around herself as she sat against the door. The ground was cold, and there was no electricity. A part of her was wishing she had stayed in Jughead’s arms. She wondered if he was looking for her… no, he couldn’t be, not after what she told him. Jughead may have told Betty it was okay, but she  _ knew  _ it wasn’t okay. It was the furthest thing from okay. She killed a man, and then she ran away from her entire life because of it. Betty had a reputation for being a strong woman who knew where she stood in life. She had an attitude most men couldn’t fight back against, and she threw one hell of a right-hook in the gym, but underneath all of that, she was simply human. Betty wasn’t as strong as everyone thought; she was very much broken. 

Betty woke the next morning with an extreme pain in her neck. The cold, hard ground not an ideal place to spend the night. She sighed as she looked around her. There was sun shining in through the cracked wood and that meant she would have to get back to her life-- whatever that was anymore. Betty stood up and wiped off the dust that found its home all over her clothing before opening the door and heading outside. As she walked around the building, Betty stopped in her tracks, a large piece of graffiti catching her attention. 

“Jughead Jones waz here.” It was in big, black letters across the side of the building and that all-too familiar feeling of guilt came back to her. None of this was like Betty, but she knew she needed to talk to Jughead. 

It didn’t take long for her to get to the White Wyrm, but the walk did nothing for her. Betty stuck in her thoughts-- the last place she wanted to be. Well, until she walked in and saw who was sitting at the bar, that was. Betty gasped, feeling her heart drop in her chest.  _ What was he doing here? _ She asked herself. Slowly, Betty stepped forward, causing Toni and Ray to turn and look at her. 

“You look like shit, Cooper.” Toni laughed as she cleaned the bar counter, “Where have you been all night?” 

Betty took a seat beside Ray, avoiding making any type of eye contact with him, “I uh-” 

“Betts!” Instantly, she knew the voice. It was Jughead, and suddenly her heart dropped even further. This wasn’t how today was supposed to go. Ray scoffed at the nickname, causing Toni to look at him confused. “Can we talk?” Jughead asked, nodding to Ray. It occurred to her then that Toni had no idea she was married to Ray, or really anything about her life in LA. The only two people besides herself who knew about her marriage was Kevin and Jughead. This entire thing was going to be harder than she could have ever imagined, and a part of Betty wanted to do what she was best at:  _ run.  _ But when Ray stood up and walked over to Jughead, she knew that wasn’t an option. The two men walked up the stairs as Betty sat at the bar, resting her head down and ignoring the confused look from Toni. 

“I could cut that tension with a knife.” She laughed, “I know they haven’t always been the best of brothers, but I never thought it was that bad.” Betty’s head snapped up quickly. 

“What?” She asked, looking at Toni with confusion. “Did you just say they’re brothers?” 

“Yeah.” Toni replied, calling after Betty as she stood up from the bar stool and stormed up the stairs to Jughead’s office.  

 

“What the fuck!” Betty yelled as she slammed the door shut behind her. “Brothers? You two are fucking brothers?” She took the closest thing to her and threw it at the wall, causing Ray to laugh and Jughead looked concerned. Their reactions were once again proving how different their love for Betty was. Jughead worried about her, despite what she told him last night.

“Betty-” Jughead went to speak but was immediately stopped at Ray standing up. 

“Come on, babe. You don’t really think you’re the one that has the right to be mad here, do you?” He chuckled, rubbing his hand across his face as he stood directly between Betty and Jughead. “I mean, you’re the one who left me.” 

Betty walked closer, making sure there was almost no space in between them. “You know exactly why I left. Don’t you dare turn this around on me.” She snarled. Pushing past him, Betty looked at Jughead, “And you, you’re a son of a bitch.” She yelled, slapping Jughead hard across the face. “I don’t know who the fuck you think you are, doing that to me. But you both deserve to burn in hell.” Without another word, she was turning around and trying to storm out of the room, but both Jughead and Ray tried stopping her. 

“Come on, babe.” Ray said, “Don’t be like this.” 

“No.” Betty growled, “I’m going to say something and you need to listen.” Her eyes landed on Jughead, and for a split second, her words got lost. But then, she saw Ray again and it all came back to her, “I don’t love you. Either of you.” There was no stopping as she ran out the door and down the bar stairs, once again ignoring Toni as she called after her. Betty didn’t care that this was her job- she refused to be around Jughead ever again. 

She ran down the town streets until her apartment building was in eyesight, causing her to fall apart as she looked at the wet cement ground and all she saw was the body of the man she killed months prior. It was never  _ easy  _ to push the thoughts of that night away, but right now, it was harder than ever. Betty struggled to get her breathing under control as she headed into the apartment building, smiling at her neighbours that were in the lobby and holding it together as she travelled up the elevator. Her first stop was her own apartment: she needed to get out of these clothes and wash herself up before doing anything else.  Betty stood under the warm water and finally, the tears began to fall.  _ They’re brothers.  _ The thought was stuck in Betty’s head. How could she have been so blind? All of it was a setup. Jughead must have gotten her name from Toni and remembered it from Ray. Somehow, they must have come up with a plan to let her work for him, probably to be under his eye and report to Ray what she was doing. But then, there was that small part of Betty that wanted it to have been real. How could all the moments they shared have been fake? Her thoughts drifted to the way Jughead looked at her and whispered sweet nothings into her ear, or how his lips felt against her bare flesh, and the way he said “I love you”, before finding out her darkest secret. Was someone truly capable of pretending to love another human being? Was  _ he  _ truly capable of pretending to love  _ her?  _ Betty turned off the tap and got out of the shower. She went into her bedroom and stopped at the sight: one of Jughead’s infamous ‘S’ t-shirts was hung over the back of her chair. Against her better judgement, Betty took the shirt and pulled it over her naked body. She sighed in relief as she nestled her nose into the collar and took in the scent of Jughead. 

Hours went by before Betty woke up. She groaned at the sound of an all-too familiar voice before opening her eyes. She wished she had just stayed asleep instead. “Nice of you to wake up.” Ray smiled, tapping his foot against the floor as he stood against the doorframe. “We need to talk.” He said, walking further into Betty’s room. Betty flinched as he sat at the edge of her bed, but for the first time, she saw an understanding smile and her body relaxed, “I know you hate me and that’s okay. But I’m not the bad man everyone paints me out to be, Betty, you know that.” Ray sighed, “I saved you when you had no one else. I gave you home, and I gave you a life. You’d have killed yourself by now if it wasn’t for me, so I deserve better than you fucking my brother behind my back.” 

Betty actually scoffed, pulling her comforter off and standing up, “No. You can burn in hell for all I care.” She growled, “You did not save me, Ray. I saved myself.” Betty rubbed at her tired eyes and sighed, “We have history, but that’s all it is. You and I were never going to have a future and I know that. Every second we spent together was on borrowed time. I will be damned if I stand here and allow you to act like you’re the reason why I am who I am.” 

Ray stood up from the bed and walked closer to Betty, smiling at her sickly, “If it wasn’t for me, he would’ve never showed up that night. And I  _ know  _ that you killing him made you this way.” A disgusting chuckle fell from his lips, “You’re a coward, you always were.” 

“I’m the coward?” Betty chuckled sadistically, “You know, I’ve spent a lot of time with your brother these past few weeks. It’s really not surprising why he has more people by his side.” Betty had learned when they were together how sensitive the subject was to Ray. Of course, he had never told her who his brother was, she knew he felt like he wasn’t good enough because when their mom died, their father only took care of his younger brother. “You’re worthless Ray, you always have been.” With that, Betty knew she had hit a nerve. Ray’s face was burning hot red and his breathing deepened, “Your brother owns a bar while you’re in a gang that is enemies with your father’s and the money you make comes from petty drug deals and alley robberies. You’re pathetic: a sad excuse for man.” She laughed, “If you can even call yourself that.” 

“Watch what you say to me.” He snarled, walking closer to her, but all Betty did was chuckle. 

“What are you going to do? I think we both know by now that I’m the stronger one here.” Betty looked past him, staring at the glass window only 12 feet away, “And we know what I’m capable of when there’s a window around.” The words fell from her mouth before she even knew she was saying them. 

“Betty.” The voice caused Betty’s walls to fall down instantly. She was no longer the strong and confident woman that just confronted her ex-husband. She was instead a woman who loved a man and didn’t know how to handle it. 

“It was nice seeing you again, bro.” Ray laughed, walking past Betty and patting Jughead on the back, “Good luck.” 

When Ray had left the apartment, Jughead still stood frozen, “That’s not who you are.” He said quietly, looking down, afraid of meeting her eyes. 

“You don’t know who I am, Jughead.” Betty said harshly, holding on to whatever strength she had left. “So, don’t come in here acting like you do.” 

“That’s where you’re wrong.” He whispered, “You think that because we had sex and never talked for two months, that I don’t know you?” Jughead’s voice was now loud and clear, “We spent almost every day together for over two months, Betty. You think that shutting me out and making most of our interactions sexual pushed me away? How don’t you see it. I love you.” Jughead said, harsher than he intended, but he knew being soft with Betty wasn’t the way to go. 

“You love me?” Betty tried to laugh, but her fake smile was quick to turn into tears, “Last I checked, love doesn’t involve sleeping with me knowing damn well the life I was trying to leave behind involved your brother.” 

Jughead felt his heart shatter in his chest. This strong and powerful woman stood in front of him completely broken, and it was all  _ his  _ fault. “I know you won’t forgive, but still, I’m sorry.” 

“Don’t apologize if you don’t mean it.” Betty choked through her sobs. This was all new territory to her- showing her emotions in front of another person. It made her feel weak and fragile, and she couldn’t handle it. “And don’t put me in this position.” 

He looked up at her, confused, “What position?” 

“One where I don’t know what I’m supposed to feel.” Betty stepped back, suddenly feeling like they were too close, “I’ve never felt like I couldn’t control my emotions Jughead, and then you came into my life, and for the past two months I’ve been a completely different person. Everything that’s happened and what is  _ still  _ happening. I can’t be in this position, I just can’t do it.” 

“Betts-” Jughead walked over to her, “What does that even mean?” But he knew what it meant, this felt too much like a goodbye not to be one. Everything she was saying, the way she was acting, Betty wasn’t intending on staying. 

“I hate you, Jughead Jones. I hate you so much.” Betty cried as she scrambled around her bedroom, trying to find a bag. She hurriedly threw items of clothing inside of it. As she was panicking, Jughead grabbed her arm and stopped her. 

“You don’t hate me Betty, okay, I know you don’t.” This was new territory to Jughead as well. He had never been  _ in love,  _ but if he had to guess what it felt like, this would be it. The feeling of wanting someone so much that no matter what they did, it didn’t make you want to walk away; the need to be by someone’s side through everything, no matter the consequences- it had to be love Jughead didn’t care when he called Ray, because in the end, he knew that what he felt for Betty was stronger than any fight that could happen. “I know this was never supposed to be more than sex, but it hasn’t been just that for a long time. I know that, and so do you.” 

“We can’t be more than that.” Betty turned and yelled at him, “I have been through hell in my life, and I refuse to let you be the cause of more.” 

“Are you just going to run?” Jughead shot back, “What Ray said, it was wrong. You are not a coward Betty, but you can’t run away from-” He moved his hands, motioning between the two of them, “This.” 

“You don’t know me.” Betty screamed at him, louder than she ever had before. 

“You think that’s true?” Jughead hit his fist into the bedroom wall, “Then how do I know that you get up every morning at exactly 7 am and have a shower before putting on clothes that you would only have ever seen on a Pinterest board, and that your all black attire is just a show you put on? How do I know that you would order a beer when you actually hate the taste of alcohol and would drink endless amounts of ginger ale if you could, and that you hate pizza but love a barbecued burger? How do I know that your favourite song is Sweet Silver Lining because it fits how you feel perfectly, and that you have self harm scars scattered across your palms and the rest of your body too because someone in your life once made you feel like you weren’t worthy? Tell me Betty, if I didn’t fucking know you then how do I know that all these things made me fall in love with you.” Betty stood in awe at Jughead’s outburst. This was the most she’d ever heard him talk at once, and her brain was trying to wrap around all the things he said. “I pay fucking attention. I have been for the last two months, so don’t you dare EVER accuse me of not knowing you.” 

“Please leave, Jug.” Betty choked through the lump in her throat. Jughead looked at her, for a split second hoping he had finally made it through to her, but clearly, he hadn’t. “I need some time.” She whispered, looking down at the floor as meeting his eyes became too much to bare. Jughead didn’t know what else he could do, so for right now, he was going to leave and simply hope for the best. With one last look at Betty’s broken appearance, Jughead walked out of her bedroom. 

 

\--

 

Jughead arrived at the White Wyrm not long after leaving the apartment and walked behind the bar to pour himself a drink. He took the entire bottle and rested himself on one of the stools, already through his third glass after only a few minutes.

Toni and Cheryl approached him.  “Do I even want to ask what happened earlier?” Toni asked, taking a seat beside her best friend and pulling the whiskey bottle away from him, “You don’t drink, Jones.” 

“What’s wrong with Jonsey?” Sweet Pea chuckled, walking over to his group of friends, but quickly wiping the smile off his face as he saw Jughead’s tear-burnt eyes and the half empty bottle of whiskey in Toni’s possession. “Is it Betty?” He questioned, realizing the mistake he made as Cheryl gave him her death stare. 

“Oh my God.” Toni gasped, “You’re in love with her.” Of course, everyone around the bar knew about their daily (and night time) activities, but the two had been able (or at least try) to fool all those around them. But Cheryl was the first person to notice the change in Jughead, and apparently now, so did everyone else. 

“Yeah. I am.” Jughead growled, before taking the bottle from Toni’s hand and storming up to his office. 

 


	6. Where Do We Go From Here

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, a shoutout to my beta @anasteeles for being amazing!

Jughead and Betty hadn’t talked in over a week. Her shifts at the Wyrm were spent avoiding Jughead at all costs while she stuck close to Toni who, (thankfully) didn’t bother to question the situation. Of course, she didn’t get so lucky with Cheryl, who was ready to dig her nails into Betty for more information. She did her best to ignore her, giving short answers and snarky “ask him” remarks, but when Cheryl would really want to get under Betty’s skin, she would bring up the way there were less bottles behind the bar and it wasn’t hard to tell what she was getting at.

When Betty did see Jughead, his eyes were bloodshot and he looked like he’d gone days without sleep. A part of her felt guilty every time she saw him, broken and lost, but those feelings were overthrown by the memories of what he did to her. Though she never bothered to get the entire story, Betty had her own thoughts on what happened, and she was undoubtedly assuming the worst.

What surprised Betty the most was how she didn’t want to talk to Jughead at all over the last week. Of course, there were nights when her mind wandered to what he was doing across the hall, so close, yet so so far away, but she didn’t have a desire to know. That was, until tonight. It was a Tuesday, which meant Betty didn’t work, and she chose to spend the day at the gym. But when she arrived, she was met with the sight of the last person she wanted to see. Betty had thought Ray would have went back to LA by now, but there he was, standing against the wall with his arms crossed across his chest, smiling at her with a cocky grin. It left an unpleasant feeling in her stomach. For the most part of the day, Betty was able to hold it together, trying not to get caught up in her thoughts about him and all the memories he brought along with him. But as she laid in bed at 3am, it all flooded back to her, and tonight, she needed Jughead.

Betty got out of bed, pulling down her t-shirt so it covered some of her body as she wandered out into the hall. For a split second, she thought about how bad of an idea this was. But then, before she could stop herself, Betty was knocking on the door. Jughead answered quick for three in the morning, and her heart dropped in her chest at the sight of him. His hair was a mess and he was in nothing more than a pair of plaid pajama pants, revealing his bare chest. Without a single word, Betty leant forward, cupping Jughead’s cheeks, and pulled him in for a kiss. Nothing about it was slow. Instantly, their need for each other overpowered everything else and he fell into the kiss as well. Jughead wrapped his arms around Betty’s waist and pulled her into his apartment, not wasting a single second when he needed her so badly. As their kiss deepened, Betty felt her body intensify and she moved herself against Jughead’s hard length, happy that the material of his pajama pants was thin. Jughead groaned at the contact and Betty moaned into his mouth as she was wearing nothing but underwear and could feel all of him against her.

“Betty-” Jughead pulled away from the kiss to catch his breath.

After a moment of steadying her own breath, Betty moved her lips along his jawline, “Shut up, Jughead.” She demanded, slipping his hand away from his cheeks and down his bare torso before letting it settle above the waistband of his pants. Jughead trembled at the touch, her cold and soft hand against his naked body sending familiar feelings through him. “I want to taste you.” Betty rasped, before pushing Jughead against the living room wall and setting herself down. She didn’t dare look at him as she pulled down his pants, revealing his long, hard cock. Without warning, Betty placed her hand around his shaft and took him fully in her mouth before pulling out and licking along the tip, pre-cum leaving a delicious taste on her tongue.

“Oh my god.” Jughead groaned, jolting his body forward for her to take him in further, if that was even possible. “Betts, oh God.”

“Shh.” Betty demanded as she took her mouth off his cock and stood up.

“What are you doing?” Jughead asked, confused. Betty smiled at him seductively and stepped back, pulling off her oversized t-shirt and revealing her chest. She was wearing his favourite bra and panties set. It was her lime green lace set that matched the colour of the snake on his old leather jacket, and he secretly loved how dangerous it made her look- like she was one of them, like she was just like him.

“Sit.” She nodded her head to the chair and Jughead obeyed. Betty unclipped her bra and slid off her panties before walking over to where Jughead sat, taking a seat on his lap and rubbing her wet heat against his hard cock. Her breasts rubbed against his chest and the sensation made her crazy. Slowly, Betty took Jughead inside of her and moaned at the feeling she had been missing for what felt like ages, “Jug.” Betty growled, “Harder.”

She didn’t have to tell him twice. Jughead moved his hands to hold onto her waist as he pounded inside of her, causing her breasts to jiggle against his bare skin and he felt her hard nipples. The sound of her angelic moans sent a whole other feeling through his dick that was fully inside of her. Jughead gripped onto Betty’s ass and stood up, walking her to his bedroom and setting her lightly on the bed before getting back into the rhythm and going harder.

“You feel so good.” Jughead husked as he placed kisses along her naked body, spending more time than usual on her stomach that was littered with scars he always tried to ignore. Betty shivered at the contact, biting back a sob as she tried not to think about what this meant. “Betts, I’m gonna-”

“Me too.” Betty cried out as she reached her climax underneath Jughead. He pulled out of her and rested on the side of his bed. He had expected her to get up and leave, but when she rolled over and wrapped her naked body over his, resting her head in his neck and mumbling a ‘goodnight’, Jughead was pleasantly surprised.

The next morning, Jughead woke and Betty was still wrapped naked around him, only now there was a comforter over their intertwined bodies. For a split second, Jughead thought last night’s events were a dream, but the feeling in his cock and the beautiful blonde woman sprawled out across him told him otherwise. “Mmm.” Betty whined as Jughead tried to move from beneath her. He was able to slip out from under her and sat on the edge of the bed. “No.” She grabbed his arm, stopping him from getting out of bed. “Stay, please.” The words came out as a need, and Jughead would be damned if he didn’t give her exactly what she wanted. “Thank you.” She smiled as he turned back around in the bed, wrapping his arms around Betty’s small frame and allowing her to curl into his body.

Betty and Jughead both fell back into a deep sleep before they were woken up by the sound of banging on his front door. Jughead groaned as he reluctantly slipped away from Betty and his oh, so comfortable bed to answer it. He opened the door to see Kevin, who looked less than impressed. “What the fuck, Jones. It’s 1 in the afternoon, and I know you’ve been drinking your feelings away this past week, but this is bullshit-” Kevin yelled as he entered into the apartment without permission, stopping when he saw the discarded clothing across the hardwood floors. “Oh, fuck man, I am so sorry,” he said, walking back towards the door, “I’ll uh, we’ll catch up at the Wyrm.” He stuttered before heading quickly down the hallway and as far away from Jughead’s apartment as possible.

Jughead walked back into his bedroom, and smiled to himself as he saw the beautiful woman on his bed. “Hey.” He smiled, sitting on the edge of the bed and running his hand through Betty’s long, blonde locks.

“Is it true?” She questioned, noticing the confusion on Jughead’s face, “Were you drinking your feelings away?” Instantly, Jughead’s body stiffened and he suddenly didn’t know what to do.

“Betty, I...yeah.” He admitted, “I know what you think of me, but I swear to you, everything I feel for you, it’s so real.”

“Jug-”

“No, we need to talk about this.” Jughead sighed, moving around to try and get more comfortable, “I know I didn’t tell you that he was my brother, but what do you think happened?” He knew it was risky-that Betty probably thought the worst thing possible- but he just needed to know.

“I...I thought maybe you hired me as a way to keep an eye on me and tell Ray everything.” She sighed, not wanting to think about those possibilities again. “I thought that all of this, you and I, was just a game to you, Jughead.”

Jughead took his hand from Betty’s hair and used it to grab Betty’s, “I know that’s what it seems like, but I promise you, you’ve got it all wrong.” Jughead took her hand and kissed her scarred palms gently, “I never meant to hurt you, that was never supposed to happen.” Betty wanted to cry at the contact, remembering the way he kissed the scars along her stomach in the middle of the night. This was real.

“Where do we go from here?” She asked, “What do we do?”

Jughead’s eyes widened, a sense of relief filling him. Betty really wanted to give this a try. “Honesty and communication.” Jughead kissed her palm once more, “No more sex when things get rough or when we want to run from our problems, as fun as it may be.” He laughed.

“Honesty and communication.” Betty repeated, as if to understand that this was in fact, real. “Well, if I’m being honest, I could go for some Pop’s right about now.” She chuckled, earning a loud laugh from Jughead as he shook his head.

“Let’s get dressed and we can head over there.” He smiled, kissing her forehead before getting off the bed and watching her as she strolled naked through his apartment. “Oh and Betty.” She turned to him with a bright smile, “Wear comfy clothes that were inspired by a Pinterest board.” He smiled at her, mirroring his words from last week about how he knew every little detail, and how those things made him fall in love.

\--

Betty and Jughead headed to Pop’s shortly after, both in jeans and flannel tops, and decided to take his motorcycle for the day. Fortunately for Jughead, it was after 12pm which meant Pop was serving his burgers instead of breakfast. Though Jughead loved everything from that diner, the classic hamburgers and milkshakes were his favourite. They walked into the small town diner hand in hand, causing a collective amount of gasps from other customers, but both deciding to ignore it. Jughead nodded to Pop before heading over to his… their booth. After ordering their meals, Betty and Jughead fell into an uncomfortable silence. Most eyes in the diner were on them, and neither knew how to handle it. Betty took Jughead’s hand from over the table and smiled at him, “I can’t believe you’re making me do this.” She laughed.

“Next I’ll have you sharing your food with me.” Jughead winked.

“Yeah, in your dreams,” Betty scoffed. She was at a point where she would do almost anything for Jughead, but sharing food was a whole other story. “It’ll be a cold day in hell when I share my burger.”

“You sound exactly like Jughead here.” Pop laughed as he walked over to the table with a milkshake, a classic vanilla with two straws. “What can I get you, dear?”

Betty set her menu down, “I’ll take the Pop’s burger combo, but can I get a large fry instead of medium?”

“Two Pop’s burger combos with large instead of medium fries.” Pop patted Jughead on the back, “You picked a good one, son.” Jughead smiled at Pop’s words, feeling his cheeks heat up. Was Jughead Jones fucking blushing?

“Can we talk about it?” Betty asked quietly, aware of all the eyes still on them. “The drinking, Jughead.” She added, confirming what he already thought she meant.

Jughead sighed heavily before answering, “There’s nothing to talk about.” Betty pulled her hands away, angry by his choice to keep her out.

“Honesty and communication.” Betty repeated the words Jughead stated only an hour earlier. She smirked slightly as he sighed in defeat.

“I have a problem with drinking. I just… I don’t do it.”Jughead said, “I went to rehab for it, which I think was completely unnecessary, but whatever. It used to be a coping mechanism, and I guess I needed one this past week.” Betty felt tears prick in her eyes, “It’s not your fault. I should have never lied to you. Especially after you told me the truth.”

“Wait, what?” Betty asked, “You didn’t know about what I did until I told you?”

Jughead looked at her with his brows furrowed, “No, why would I have?”

“I thought Ray told you.” She admitted. Jughead shook his head, his heart hurting at the thought of her believing he ever set out to hurt her in anyway.

“Betty.” Jughead reached forward to grab her hands, “I swear, Ray didn’t know you were here until the day you saw him in the Wyrm.” Betty’s eyes widened, “I didn’t know you two had such a bad relationship, and thought he could help me.”

Betty laughed at what Jughead said, and thinking about it now, he was aware of how stupid his plan was, “You called my husband to ask for help with me after we spent two months fucking and then you admitted you loved me.”

“So, it wasn’t my brightest idea.” Jughead chuckled, “Then again, I also had sex with my brother’s wife behind his back for two months.” He stopped, taking in what he just sai. It was the first time he ever said it out loud, “Which sounds worse than it actually was.”

“Yeah.” Betty said, barely loud enough for Jughead to hear her. They fell into a silence waiting for their food to arrive, and when it did, ate without speaking again.

After finishing their lunch, Jughead and Betty hopped back on his motorcycle and he drove until they reached the White Wyrm. Betty groaned. She knew he would have to go to work, but a selfish part of her just wanted to stay hidden for today. They walked into the bar just like they did into Pop’s- hand in hand. Except this time, there were only a few eyes on them, the most noticeable being Kevin who was sitting behind an older man with black hair that Betty believed was Jughead’s dad, the infamous FP Jones II. It ran through her mind that he was in fact, Ray’s father as well and suddenly questions she wanted to ask came to the surface. Questions about their childhood and how it all ended up this way. “Jones.” Kevin said, walking over to them, “Betty.” He nodded his head as way to say hello, “Can we speak upstairs.”

“Yeah.” Jughead looked at Betty, “I’ll be back downstairs shortly if you want to stick around.” Betty gave him a wary look. A part of her hated when Jughead was like this- careful and ‘dominant’. Whatever they needed to talk about, Betty was sure she could handle it. But Betty also knew they’d had enough fights to last a while, and she wasn’t in the mood for another one.

Jughead went upstairs with Kevin, followed by FP and one other man, who she remembered was named Fangs. Betty walked over to the bar and sat on one of the stools, trying to avoid the stares she was being given by her co-workers who were currently stood behind it. “I’m not sure if hell has frozen over or not, but did I just see Jughead Jones walk in here holding your hand?” Veronica squealed, setting down her order note pad and sitting beside Betty, “I need all the details.” She laughed, “That guy has been in a right mood since you stopped screwing and now you’re holding hands!!”

Betty glared at Veronica, “Ronnie, we’re not discussing my life.” She sighed, “What Jughead and I do is no one else’s business.”

Toni was looking at Betty with pure anger, “Yeah well, you hurt the guy and I’m not about to let it happen again.” Toni growled, before storming past the bar and up the stairs.

Cheryl stood behind the bar and looked at Betty, “Don’t worry about her. She’s a drama queen.” Cheryl looked past the group of people at the bar and watched as her girlfriend walked up the stairs, an old feeling rising inside of her that she hadn’t felt since their high school years. Cheryl knew from the very beginning that Toni had feelings for Jughead- it was something Toni never bothered to hide, but over the years- those feelings had seemed to die down and the two woman were happy. Except this past week, Toni has been bringing him up more often than usual, always checking her phone to see if he’d texted, arriving earlier at the bar and checking the office. Cheryl wasn’t a jealous person my nature, she knew her self worth, but sometimes, she wondered if being with Toni was even worth it. “I think the rest of us can agree we’re just happy you’ve changed Jones.”

Toni was storming up the stairs when she stopped outside of the office, overhearing FP speak, “She was married to your brother, for Christ sakes Jughead.” He rubbed his hand over his face, “No matter what, Ray is still trying to get drugs into this town and you fucking his ex-wife isn’t going to make this better for any of us.”

“We’re not just ‘fucking’, dad.” Jughead sighed, “Besides, he is more than aware of the situation between Betty and I.” FP looked at his son, dumbfounded by his words. “He doesn’t know about Kev, so we still have an insider. If there’s something he has against me because of Betty, we’ll know.” Jughead was nothing if not smart. He had been running a bar with his own problems of alcoholism for years, standing on the side lines as he led a gang and kept the small town free of criminals, despite being one of the worst himself. He knew what needed to be done, and how to get it done. Of course, Ray was a well known criminal and the two of them shared a history most rival gangs would never even believe, but there was one thing Jughead had above all else. Passion. With passion, he was capable of the unbelievable.

FP went to speak but stopped when he heard the floorboards creak. The four men turned to see Toni standing at the door. “Shit.” Jughead hissed under his breath, “Toni, let’s go.” He said, walking away from the men and taking Toni elsewhere. They walked down the hallway to where they were far enough away to speak freely, “Did you hear-”

“The Dragons are trying to get drugs into Riverdale.” She said, confirming that she had been standing there long enough to hear something they were trying to keep a secret. “Betty was married to Ray.” Toni chuckled, “I can’t believe I actually liked the bitch at first.”

“Hey.” Jughead growled, “Don’t, Toni. Don’t do this again.” Jughead looked around them to make sure no one else was in sight, “You’ve been with Cheryl since high school, what we did-it’s been years.”

Toni moved forward, leaving little to no space between her and Jughead, “I know you’ve moved on, but I’m still in love with you.” She leant in to kiss him, but he pushed her away before their lips even connected.

“Toni.” He tried not to yell out all his anger, “I would never do that to Cheryl, okay, but Betty? God Toni, you saw how I was without her.”

“Exactly, Jughead.” Toni pushed him, “She destroyed you and she’s just holding your hand like nothing happened.” She looked at him, tears in her eyes, “She was married to your brother for Christ sakes.”

“Toni.” Jughead warned her, “She had no idea we were brothers, and she didn’t mean to hurt me. Look at what you’re doing to Cheryl.” Toni went to speak, but was stopped when Cheryl approached them.

“Give us a minute.” She demanded, the pain in her voice clear, but as Cheryl always did, she tried to hide it. “Jones.” Cheryl warned, giving him the death glare that made even the strongest person put their tail between their legs and cower away. He nodded his head before going back to the office.

“She’s not going to say anything to anyone.” He reassured the three men sitting in his office waiting for him, “I’ve got Kev doing some snooping, Fangs, while Ray is in town you’ll continuing watching him.” Jughead stopped, looking to his father, “You will stay as far away from his as possible. The only thing that will bring trouble is you two in the same room.”

FP looked down, the subject of his two sons without a doubt the most touching and difficult, “Okay.” Fangs and Kevin proceeded to leave the room, leaving Jughead and FP alone for the first time in weeks, “Son, I know things haven’t always been great between our family, but this stuff with Ray is fucked up.”

Jughead turned around angrily, “You know, everyone always told me I could’ve ended up worse and I never wanted to believe them. But looking at Ray now, I know they’re right. I was lucky enough to have my father pay even the slightest bit of attention to me. Even when things were rough, I could count on you. But him? He had no one, dad. His own father shut him out and treated him like nothing more than dirt on the bottom of his shoe.” He tried not to yell, “The only person you have to blame for this mess is yourself. Ray only wants drugs in Riverdale because he knows it’s what you don’t want.”

“Maybe you should let me talk to him.” FP suggested, and though he knew it wasn’t a good idea, the guilty part of him felt that it needed to be done.

However, the pissed off chuckle from Jughead was enough to stop his thoughts, “No.” He took a seat across from his father, “I understand that Ray might snap about me and Betty. Trust me, it’s a genuine concern of mine too, dad, but I can’t stay away from her.”

FP looked at his son with complete empathy. Though their situations were different, he knew exactly what it was like to love a woman completely. Even if Jughead hadn’t said those words out loud, it was clear in his eyes whenever he said or heard her name, “I know, son. We’ll figure it out.”

“I wouldn’t hold my breath trusting you.” Jughead said, “Go back downstairs, I’ll see you around later.” FP got up and walked towards the door, pausing for a moment,

“Jug, if you two don’t work out, please, don’t touch the bottle again.” He said, and without another word from his son, headed back downstairs.


	7. You're my Favourite Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jughead and Betty figuring their shit out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy crap has it really almost been a month? I am So SORRY, this has been written, I just hadn't taken time out to send it to my beta or look over it. I also wanted to get ahead on writing chapters I could post more frequently.

Betty and Jughead were laying in bed early on Saturday morning, her hand lightly sliding across his chest as they talked about anything and everything. The bar had been busy on Friday, and the couple didn’t arrive back to their apartment building until nearly 3am. Jughead didn’t technically  _ need  _ to be there, but he wanted to for her. They took his car back to the apartment, and quickly discarded their clothes before falling into bed together. Betty woke first the next morning and took the time to enjoy looking at everything amazing she had going for her. Of course, it was a long and struggling road to get here. But now, she had a good job, amazing friends, and a man who genuinely loved  _ her.  _ More than any of that though, she loved  _ him.  _ It still felt weird to think about; Betty had spent her entire life running from the idea of love. Her parents showed her what an unhappy marriage looked like, while her sister’s boyfriend left her when she ended up pregnant during their senior year of high school, and during the course of her relationship with Ray, they both cheated. Betty had not only never seen love, but loved or been loved by another, completely and genuinely. When Betty had come to Riverdale, the idea of meeting someone who could potentially be the love of her life had never crossed her mind. Betty wasn’t like the other girls; she didn’t go searching for someone to love her, but that didn’t stop a piece of her from craving the unknown. And now that she had it, she never wanted to let it go.

 

When Jughead woke, he noticed Betty staring and chuckled before pulling her in for a hug, pressing light kisses in her beautiful blonde hair. They didn’t bother to get up once as they discussed their plans for the day, and anything else that really didn’t matter. All that mattered to them was that they were here. After all the lying- to themselves and each other- the anger and the tears, they were finally here. Of course, there was still things that needed to be worked through, but for now, the sun was shining in through the white blinds and Jughead was holding the woman he loved. While Betty was in the arms of the man she loved, everything else could wait. 

 

“Do you ever wonder what it would be like to die?” Betty blurted, causing Jughead to tilt his head back and look at her confused. “When I use to be in the gym they would put me up against other people, obviously.” She chuckled, “Sometimes, I got scared, and wondered what one punch in the wrong spot could do.” 

 

“I used to write about dying.” Jughead admitted, “I used to write about everything really, but dying more often than the rest.” He looked at her beautiful emerald eyes, “This town was filled with death. It was everywhere, like I couldn’t escape it.” 

 

“Do you still write?” Betty asked, keeping their eyes locked. 

 

“Sometimes.” He smiled, slightly afraid of what she would say. No one else in his life knew about his writing. 

 

Betty sat up with a large grin on her face,  “do you think you’d ever let me read any of it?” She asked him, batting her eyelashes and forming her lips into a pout. 

 

“Look at me like that, and I’d let you do whatever you want.” Jughead chuckled, pulling Betty in and connecting their lips. Before the feeling of his body against hers got to her, Betty pulled back and groaned. “Okay.” He said reluctantly, before getting off the bed and walking over to the large desk by his closet. 

 

Opening one of the drawers, Jughead pulled out a leather black journal and tossed it to Betty. She stood against the wall as she picked it up and opened to the first page. Her eyes widened almost immediately, mesmerized by the words on the page. Though Betty had never found comfort in it the way Jughead did, there was a point in her life when she wrote. Because of that, she knew that what Jughead had was raw talent. At least she learned something helpful from her parents. “Jug.” Betty breathed, “This is beautiful.” Suddenly, he felt his entire body tense up. Only two other people knew he wrote, but they never actually read what words he put on the page. He knew exactly what she was reading: his old journal from high school- more specifically from when his mom died and him and his father both fell into an alcoholic state. FP and Jughead were far too alike for anyone’s comfort, the young boy a spitting image of his father. Jughead knew his words on those pages were cold and dark, but they were nothing if not true. As Betty slammed the book shut and set it on the nightstand, Jughead knew what she read. “I just–” She stood up from the bed and walked over to the bathroom, “I need a minute.” 

 

Jughead stood where he was, waiting to let her have time. He knew what was on the page, and he knew  _ who  _ was on the page. Betty came out a few minutes after, “I need to talk to him.” She said. Jughead sighed; of course she needed to talk to him, but it didn’t mean he wanted her to. Betty looked at him and said, “I don’t want to Juggie, but I need to.” 

 

“I know.” He rubbed the back of his neck, “It’s still weird, the girl I love being my brother’s ex-wife. God, our lives sound like the trope of a Lifetime movie.” Jughead and Betty laughed, “I know you need to talk to him, just spare me the details, okay? And hurry back here so I can get you out of those clothes,” Jughead winked

 

Betty scoffed at her boyfriend, “Hold your horses on that one. We have a job that needs to be done.” She leant forward and kissed him on the cheek, “Also, is Toni feeling okay? She wasn’t at the bar last night.” 

 

“Don’t know.” He said, not wanting to speak about Toni after their incident. “I’m going to hop in the shower, don’t take too long.” He kissed her on the cheek before dispersing into the bathroom. 

  
  


Betty had found out from Kevin that Ray was staying at a motel on the outside of Riverdale. It took her longer than she cared to admit to get out of her car. The words on Jughead’s paper were stuck on replay in her mind. Betty had once prided herself on being able to use someone’s darkest secrets against them, but Jughead was right. The girl that stood in front of Ray a week prior was not her. She was cruel and almost inhumane, her words cutting sharper than a knife when she didn’t even know the entire story. Ray was never a very  _ good  _ man, and he had done his fair share to hurt Betty, but knowing the truth now, she knew he didn’t deserve the words she spit out like venom. 

 

Betty knocked on the front door of his room and waited for a response, stopping when she saw who else was in the room with Ray. “Toni?” Betty asked, her voice quieter than she intended as the name got stuck in her throat.

 

Toni turned around and faced Betty with a sick smile spread across her face, “Bored of Jughead already?” She scoffed, “I knew you’d hurt him.” 

 

“What?” She asked, “What are you talking about?” Betty looked at Ray as if she was hoping he would answer her, but no response came. “Look Toni, I know you and Jughead are good friends but I promise I won’t hurt him.” 

 

“Does he know he’s dating a murderer?” Toni stepped closer to Betty, her cocky smirk never disappearing as she spoke, “I’m not talking about the man you pushed out of the window, either.” Betty’s heart dropped in an instant, how could she possibly know? 

 

“I came to talk to Ray.” Betty said, ignoring Toni, “Jughead let me read his work, and I wanted to talk about it.”

 

Both Toni and Ray’s eyes went wide, “Jughead doesn’t let anyone read his work.” Ray stated, trying to hide the surprise in his voice, “He doesn’t even tell people he writes.” 

 

Betty smiled, that cocky girl who already seemed to appear around Ray was back, “Well, he let me.” She looked at Toni, “Maybe he just trusts me more than anyone else.” Toni couldn’t believe what was happening. Rage filled her veins and she stormed out of Ray’s motel room. “What the hell is her issue?” Betty asked as the door slammed shut. 

 

“What?” Ray scoffed, “You don’t know?” As Betty stood there, he realized she really didn’t know, “You’re telling me Jug let you read his work, but failed to mention his history with Toni?”

 

Betty tried to ignore the feeling that ran through her body. She wasn’t a jealous person, and she sure as hell wouldn’t become one now. “Guess not. But that’s not what I’m here for anyway.” Betty crossed her arms and looked at Ray, “Why did you never tell me?” 

 

“Would it have changed anything?” Ray asked, letting his guard down ever so slightly. 

 

“We were different people when we met.” Betty’s voice was softer than usual, “When I was in high school, I got lucky finding you. I don’t want you to ever think I’m ungrateful for the time we spent together. I changed, and as much as I love the person I’ve become, that girl is still in here.” She walked over and placed her hand on Ray’s cheek, “That pastel wearing innocent girl who fell head over heels for you is still in there. I like to say I never loved you, and that it wasn’t real, but you taught me a lot about love and life.” 

 

Ray melted into Betty’s touch and fought hard to keep his strength, “We were only fooling ourselves, Cooper.” He chuckled, “You and I, it was never going to last.” 

 

“Doesn’t make it hurt any less though, does it?” She laughed, removing her hand from his cheek and taking a step back, “I’m sorry about your mom and dad. I know it doesn’t change anything, but maybe it could have.” 

 

“You’re happy now, yeah?” Ray asked, “Jughead treats you right?” 

 

Betty laughed, “Yeah, he treats me well.” She looked at Ray and for the first time in a long time, saw the man she once loved. “Thank you,” was all that was left to be said before Betty turned around and walked out of the motel. Her eyes met with Toni’s and suddenly, the Betty she was most afraid of came out. Betty looked at Toni and swung, her fist connecting to the other woman’s jaw before she knew what she was doing. “I really thought you were a good person,” Betty snarled, ignoring the shocked Toni and her words as she walked to her car. 

  
  


Jughead was still waiting for Betty at his apartment until quarter after two. Knowing they both needed to be at the bar within the next hour or so, he wondered what was taking her so long. Having left her multiple messages and phone calls with no response, Jughead decided he was going to visit the motel himself. Kevin had told him where Ray was staying in the case of keeping his father away, and it was certainly coming in handy now. When Jughead arrived at the motel, he didn’t see her car and began to worry. Of course, Betty could take of herself, but this was unsettling. 

 

Jughead sighed as he knocked on the motel door, waiting for a response. Within seconds, Ray was standing at the door and he looked as confused as Jughead felt. “What do you want, Jones?” He asked, stepping aside for Jughead to come in. 

 

“I was wondering if Betty was here?” Jughead asked, looking around the room for any sign of his girlfriend. 

 

“She left hours ago.” Ray sighed, “But she might have not come back for a reason.” For the life of him, Jughead couldn’t imagine what Ray would say to make Betty not want to come back home. “You don’t need to believe me, but I love Betty. I always have, and she deserves better than someone kissing his ex when she’s not around.” Jughead eyes widened, 

 

“What the fuck are you talking about?” He screamed, but then it hit him, “Oh my god. Did Toni tell you I kissed her?” When Ray nodded his head, Jughead sighed, “Look man, you can hate me for what’s happened with Betty all you want, but I swear I did not fucking kiss Toni.” 

 

“I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a part of me that wished you two wouldn’t work out.” Ray sat down on the edge of his bed, “Because a part of me wants her back, to go back to the way we were. But if you love her the way I think you do, then you need to go get her.” Jughead’s smile sent a rush of pain through Ray,  _ this was what heartbreak felt like,  _ “Go get her Jughead.” As Jughead headed out of the apartment, Ray knew this was the end. All he ever wanted was for Betty to be happy, and if that meant letting her go, then he would. 

 

Jughead drove quickly back to the apartment and saw that Betty was still not there. Based on the time, he knew she must be at the bar. Sighing as he drove down the Riverdale roads, no speed seemed fast enough until he was pulling into the back parking lot and pressed on the breaks. Jughead stepped inside the White Wyrm and saw Betty standing behind the bar as if everything was normal. She was pouring drinks for the customers and laughing with Sweet Pea. He wondered how she did it- how a girl who had seen so much evil and fought so many demons could laugh like the world was filled with nothing but angels. Jughead started walking forward to approach Betty, but was stopped when Toni stepped in front of him. “Not now, Topaz.” Jughead growled, trying to push past Toni but being stopped by her determination.

 

“We need to talk.” She sighed, “I promise this is something you’re going to want to know.”  

 

Jughead groaned, “Come on.” He demanded, glancing at Betty to make sure she didn’t see them go up the stairs.

 

Jughead went into his office first, holding the door open for Toni to follow, and shut the door when she stood against the wall. “How much do you know about Betty’s past?” Toni asked, a small smile appearing on her face that made Jughead sick to his stomach. “She killed someone, Jughead.”  _ How could Toni possibly know that?  _ “I know you’re aware of the guy at her apartment in LA, but that’s not what I’m talking about.” Jughead’s eyes went wide. 

 

“You’re walking on a thin line Toni, watch what comes out of your mouth.” He warned. 

 

“There is more to Betty than what you think.” Toni stepped closer to Jughead, her hands finding their home on his chest, “The apartment was an accident, but this other death wasn’t.” Jughead grabbed Toni’s hands and removed them from his body. Ignoring her words, he stormed past her to his desk and pulled out a journal very similar to the one he showed Betty earlier that day. Toni continued to speak, but Jughead didn’t hear a word she said as he walked past her and down the stairs. 

 

Jughead stopped behind the bar, pushing past Sweet Pea and setting his journal on the bar counter in front of Betty. She looked at him confused, “I have written a lot in my life, Betty. But I will tell you this once and for all. Of all the things I’ve ever written,  _ you  _ are my favourite story. I don’t care what you’ve done. I can handle it, but I  _ need  _ to know. Everything.” Betty felt tears prick in her eyes and she looked up to catch a glimpse of Toni, a sick feeling of jealousy inside of her. “Your shift is over, and we are going to leave here and talk.” Jughead said, walking away and stopping at the end of the staircase, “Topaz, get your ass behind the bar and work.” He demanded before walking out of the bar and waiting out front for Betty. 

 

Betty was looking over the first page of his journal as she walked outside, “Jughead-” 

 

“No.” He growled, “Don’t say anything about it. We need to talk about what Toni told me.” Betty flinched at the name and knew where this was going. “Get in the car.”

 

The drive was silent for a few minutes before Betty spoke, “It happened in high school.” She whimpered, “I know what Toni told you, and I’m sorry you didn’t hear it from me. I have no idea how she found out. I didn’t think anyone else knew.” Betty didn’t dare look at Jughead as she spoke, “Do you remember when you said that someone made me feel like I wasn’t worthy? In high school, I was always trying to live up to my mom’s expectations. She wanted me to be captain of the cheerleading squad, run the school paper, get perfect grades, date the perfect boy next door. For the most part, I fit the part to a T, but there was this group of girls who always told me I needed to earn my spot. At the time, I wanted to be in the group.” Her fingers curled into her palms and a sense of relief washed over her, “It was a game of truth or dare– my initiation, if you want to call it that.” Betty’s chuckle was dry, “We were at a party and I was dared to drug one of the ‘nerdy’ girls. The captain of our squad got me the pills, but I had no idea the girl we were targeting was already intoxicated. I swear Jughead, I had no idea. I know that doesn’t make it better. I know, but I swear.” Betty was crying now and her heart was beating fast. Jughead pulled the car over and turned to face her, pulling her hands into his and kissing over the red marks. 

 

“Betty.” Jughead whispered, “I should have told you the night at your apartment, but I didn’t know how.” He looked down at their connected hands and held on tighter, “I used to be a Serpent. Technically, I still am. But before, it was for real. I was doing everything the other men are required to do, except I took some of the harder jobs. When I drank, I had no limits, and I would lying if I said I wasn’t responsible for the end of someone else’s life. I can’t even tell you the name of some of them, and I understand if you want to leave me.” He kissed her hands one more time, “But you need to know that I am not holding this against you, because I’ve done it too.” There were now tears in Jughead’s eyes too, “I meant it when I said I want honesty and communication, and I promise from here on out I will not keep anything from you. If you have any questions at all, I will tell you the answer.” 

 

“Jug.” Betty cried, “I love you.” 

 

Jughead let a small smile fall on his lips and leant in to kiss her on the lips, “I love you too.” The kiss deepened and Betty couldn’t stop her tears from falling, “I’m sorry for not telling you about my history with Toni, and given our route of honesty, I need to tell you something.” Betty pulled away, anger in her eyes, “She tried kissing me the other night, and then today at the bar, she touched me. But I didn’t let the kiss happen, and I threw her arms off me within seconds.” 

 

“You said you didn’t want the details, but I think you should know.” Betty melted into Jughead’s touch and tried to push her tears away, “I did love him at one point. He was there when I needed someone and I’ll never forget that. You know more than anyone that I’m not some heartless woman Jughead, and a part of me will always have feelings for him. It doesn’t just go away.” Jughead flinched at her words; he knew that there was a possibility Betty would always have feelings for Ray, but the honesty of it hurt more than anything. “But I can’t have us bouncing around each other with these things. You have history with Toni and I have history with Ray, but it can not, and will not dictate our future.” 

 

“You’re incredible, you know that?” Jughead chuckled. “Why don’t we go back to my apartment and watch a movie.”

 

“Leave them hanging on the busiest night at the bar?” Betty laughed, “That’s the smartest idea you’ve ever had.” She kissed Jughead slowly before pulling away and nodding for him to continue driving. 

 


	8. Let Me Forget About It All

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty confronts her past in Los Angeles

Jughead and Betty had gotten into the routine of spending almost every night together. Except unlike before, they didn’t just have sex or flirt or send dirty messages. It was cuddling while eating burgers they ordered from Pop’s and day old pizza they picked up on the way home from the Wyrm the night before. It was Jughead peaking downstairs at the bar to make sure no men were touching Betty and that she was okay. It was little conversations about their pasts while they ate breakfast in the diner. But most importantly, it was whispered “I love you’s” as their bodies connected in a million different ways. 

 

Five months ago when Betty walked into the White Wyrm that night, she never would have expected her life to turn out the way it had. The woman that night was scared and looking for a new life, but the woman she was now wanted nothing more than everything to stay the exact same way it was. Her boss was her boyfriend, her best friend owned the bar with him, and she was close with two of her other co-workers. Things had obviously been awkward between Betty and Toni after the revelation, but they remained professional, and much to Betty’s surprise, Toni and Cheryl were still ‘happily’ together. Besides a few difficult interactions in the bar, everything was the same way it was before. 

 

Ray had left only a few days after his conversation with Betty. He had kept in contact with Jughead while the war between rival gangs remained. Today was the day Betty had been dreading, though. There had been three deaths from drug overdoses since Ray left, and although he had tried to stop his men from sending drugs to Riverdale, it wasn’t working. Jughead had allowed Betty into the Serpents meetings and they decided that Kevin, Jughead, and Betty would be travelling to LA to face the Dragons themselves. Betty and Kevin were their way in, but Jughead was their intimidation. 

 

“Babe, you don’t have to do this you know,” Jughead said to her as they drove down the city streets. 

 

Betty looked at Jughead and smiled shyly. “I know, but I want to,” she said, turning back to face Kevin who was sitting awkwardly in the back seat. Betty offered him a smile, but his eyes remained on the way Jughead’s hand hadn’t left Betty’s thigh the whole ride. “You okay, Kev?” Betty chuckled as she saw where his eyes were looking. “I know you’ve been sex deprived but this shouldn’t surprise you.”

 

Kevin gasped. “I have  _ not  _ been sex deprived,” he argued. “I get a healthy amount of sex, thank you very much.” Now, Betty and Jughead were both laughing at Kevin as they pulled into the parking lot of the Dragon’s lair.

 

“Keller.” Jughead and Betty heard a voice, one they both knew. “Nice to see you again.” The man opened the door and let Kevin inside. 

 

“Actually, I’m not alone,” Kevin said as the man tried shutting the door. “I brought a friend,” he said, smiling to Betty who walked in the door. 

 

“I thought I saw the last of you in Riverdale.” The man growled as Betty approached them. 

 

“Michaels.” Betty chuckled. “We all know you’ll never get sick of seeing me.” She tilted her head in a flirting manner. “I also know that you made me a deal back in Riverdale, and I think it’s time you pay up.” Michaels took a step back. He and Betty had been together in the past, but he had also heard the stories of the way she changed. He couldn’t believe she was here bringing up  _ that  _ deal. “The Serpents want drugs out of Riverdale, and I will do whatever it takes to make that happen.” Jughead stood outside, fully aware of what this deal was. He knew that if Michaels was willing to pay up, that would mean trouble. Betty took a piece of paper from her bag and wrote down an address, “This is where I’m staying, maybe I’ll see you later.” She winked, nodding to Kevin before walking out with her head held high. 

 

Jughead and Betty walked to the car. “Do you really think this will work?” Jughead asked as he held the door open for Betty. 

 

“I don’t know, but it’s worth trying.” She smiled, sliding into the passenger seat and waiting for Jughead to get in the driver’s seat. 

 

“You know–” Jughead turned around and placed a kiss on her neck– “You were pretty hot in there.” His breath against her skin caused a small moan to escape from Betty’s lips, “If Michaels thinks he’s getting anywhere near your body, I’ll show him what’s coming to him.” 

 

Betty chuckled. “You know, no one else is allowed to touch my body.” She pushed Jughead off of her and pressed their lips together. “I’m yours, Juggie.” 

 

“Oh, I know.” He laughed, leaning in to kiss her deeper. “We should get back to the apartment in case he has the nerve to show up.” 

 

Betty pulled away completely and got comfortable in her seat. “Okay,” she said, acting as if they hadn’t just gotten each other all hot and bothered. 

 

The drive back to their hotel was silent. It wasn’t hard for Jughead to notice the nervousness in Betty’s posture. Coming back to LA had been a big step for her, and she had a lot of history that haunted her everywhere. But being here? Well, that just made it all that much worse. Jughead had learned about Betty’s past with Michaels during a conversation at the Wyrm. 

 

There had been a man and woman, both Serpents, and they were an exclusive couple– except, the woman had a history of cheating. Jughead commented on how he didn’t understand cheating, the type where it happens when you’re still sleeping in the same bed as your partner. He had noticed the change in her mood and she confessed that in LA, there were stretches of time where Ray would leave, and she found herself falling into bed with his best friend. It was on the way home that night when she admitted what they had talked about that day she sent Jughead away. Michaels tried threatening her, saying he would tell Ray where she was and that she would pay. But, Betty knew there was one thing Michaels couldn’t turn down: her. She had fucked him that day, in the bathroom of a smaller bar further into the Southside. Their deal was, if Betty ever needed anything from Michaels; she would have to sleep with him. 

 

As they pulled into the hotel parking lot, Jughead rested his hand on Betty’s thigh. “You won’t need to do anything, I won’t let him get close enough.” Jughead smiled, placing a kiss on Betty’s cheek before getting out of the car. Betty sighed as she followed Jughead inside, holding his hand as they walked into the large building. “When all of this is over, I’m going to take you somewhere you’ve never been.” He laughed, pressing kisses along her jaw as they sat on the bed in their hotel room. 

 

“Baby, you’ve taken me to a million places I’ve never been,” Betty breathed as he continued kissing down her neck and onto her chest. 

 

“Are you getting soft on me, Cooper?” Jughead chuckled in between kisses. 

 

Betty pushed him off and laughed. “Not even in your wildest dreams.” Jughead sat up on the bed and Betty began to straddle his lap. His hands roamed along the sides of her soft thighs and it sent shivers down her back. “You’re definitely not soft either.” She chuckled, grinding against his hard cock underneath her. 

 

“You’re evil,” He muttered, but the sparkle in his eye told Betty he wasn’t mad one bit. She continued to move back and forth, the friction of his jeans against her own underwear setting her on fire. But she needed more. Slowly, Betty moved off his lap and sat back. “What are you doing?” Jughead asked, but she ignored him as she leant forward and unbuckled his jeans. Pulling down his boxers with his pants, Betty placed a kiss on the tip of his dick, causing Jughead to moan. Without warning, Betty took him in deep and moved her tongue around his length. “Fuck, Betts.” Jughead hissed as her mouth moved up and down. Just as Jughead felt his release coming, there was a knock on the door. “I’m going to fucking kill that guy,” Jughead growled as Betty took her mouth of his cock and stood up, fixing her dress and telling Jughead to pull up his pants. 

 

Once she saw that Jughead was fully clothed and hidden, Betty opened the door with a fake smile. “Wasn’t sure you’d show up,” She said as he walked past her and entered the hotel room. 

 

“Well,” Michaels said, turning to face Betty, “I’ve heard from people that you’re not the same Betty Cooper you were here, so I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t surprised when you chose to mention our deal.” 

 

Betty walked closer to him, placing her hand against his chest. “What have you heard?” She asked with a tilt of her head. 

 

“Apparently the Serpent prince has made you soft, loyal, an honest woman.” He chuckled, “I don’t know if I believe it.” 

 

“Why wouldn’t you believe it?” Jughead’s voice was rough and dry. Michaels turned around and his eyes widened in shock. Betty stepped away and remained in front of the door, stopping him from having a way out of this. Jughead laughed, walking closer to Michaels. “You see, Betty here is quite the honest woman now. Telling me exactly what you’ve made her do in the past. Sex for a favour, really?” He scoffed. “What you’re going to do is make sure your men keep drugs out of Riverdale, or Betty and I will tear you down.”

 

Michaels laughed, “What are you going to do?” 

 

“Betty, babe, can you give us a moment alone?” Jughead asked. She nodded her head before opening the door and stepping outside. Jughead waited for the door to be closed before he spoke. “You think I don’t know you’re in love with her?” He stepped closer, leaving little to no space between them. “Ray wasn’t blind, he saw the way you looked at his wife. He used to tell me all the time how he wanted to bring you down, but she left before he had the chance.” 

 

“No way. Ray would never want to bring me down. I’m his right hand man,” Michaels tried to argue. 

 

Jughead wiped his hand across his face and laughed, “Except you’re not. You know Ray wants drugs out of Riverdale, and he’s done his very best to make that possible. But behind his back, you’ve been continuing to distribute drugs. I don’t think you did it for the money, or for the drugs, but for her. You knew she would want drugs gone out of Riverdale too, and that to get that, she would have to give you her body.”

 

“You’re making one hell of an accusation there,” Michaels growled. “You have no idea what you’re talking about.” 

 

“I know that you’ve always been on the side lines, to the gang, to Betty, and you wanted to feel like you were in complete power.” Jughead’s chuckle was rough, “You’re going to keep drugs out of my town, you’re going to stop obsessing over my woman, and you’re going to leave this gang behind. Ray and the Dragons don’t need someone like you.” 

 

“You really think you have enough power to scare me away from my gang, and the drugs?” Michaels laughed, “You’re not capable of that.” 

 

Jughead chuckled once again before throwing a punch and connecting his fist with Michaels’ jaw. “Do you really think your wife will still let you around your kids when she finds out you’re spending your free time in a gang and your so called ‘job’ is selling drugs? Do you really think she’s going to stay with you and defend you? Do you think your mother will still want you in her life knowing you committed infidelity and put drugs before your own children?” 

 

“They’ll never believe you.” Michaels was grasping onto any chances of hope now, knowing he had already lost. 

 

“They don’t have to. I have proof.” Jughead walked over to the door and opened it. “You can come back in now Betts. I think we’re done here.” He looked at Michaels, who’s bloody mouth was the least of his worries. 

 

“Yeah, we’re done here,” He said, before storming out of the hotel room. 

 

“Do you think it worked?” Betty asked, leaning in to kiss Jughead. 

 

“It better have worked.” He laughed. “Now, I think it’s time we finished what we started.” Betty laughed into his kiss and pushed Jughead down on the bed. 

 

Betty waited until she knew Jughead was asleep before pulling herself from under the covers and slipping on her clothes. She took one last look at her boyfriend before sighing and heading out the door. Betty had heard everything Jughead said, but a part of her still couldn’t believe it. She needed to hear it from Michaels himself, and there was only one place he could possibly be now. 

 

“Your brother and that whore of yours is here.” Michaels yelled at Ray. 

 

“Don’t call her that again,” Ray spat back, raising his hand, causing Michaels to take a step back. “I know they’re here. I’m the one who told them they could come.” Ray sighed. “Your wife is an amazing person, and she deserves more than raising her kids on drug money.” 

 

“You and your brother need to stop bringing my family into this,” Michaels screamed. He had met Ray during their early twenties, around the time that he had been laid off. With a girlfriend and baby to provide for, Michaels was desperate for any type of cash. He had known about the gang, the Dragons, from his older brother. However, he always swore he would never stoop so low. But as a man needing to take care of his partner and child, he decided to join alongside the only real friend he’d ever met in LA. Ray was the only constant in his life, and never used his family against him. But then, Betty showed up and everything changed. Suddenly, Michaels was no longer coming to the Dragons as a way to look after his family, but to see the beautiful blonde goddess who stole the hearts of every man in the gang. It wasn’t right, and he knew that. But after just one look at her, he couldn’t tear his eyes away. “At least I can keep my wife.” 

 

“I suggest you keep your mouth shut, Michaels.” Betty walked in the door and stood against the frame, crossing her arms and staring at the two men in front of her. “Your wife wouldn’t stay with you if she knew what you were doing, and Ray and I separated for completely different reasons.” Betty’s eyes met with Ray’s, and for a moment she felt nostalgic. But quickly, her mind was brought back to the reason she was here. “Is it true?” She wasn’t really looking at either one of them, simply waiting for a response from someone. 

 

“Don’t you know by now Betty, you’re irresistible.” Ray’s laugh was empty. “Jughead is a lucky man.” He tried offering her a genuine smile, but the pain in his chest was too much for any pretending. “Betty was young when we first met, she grew up.” He looked at Michaels. “We don’t have any children together. Fix things with your wife before they get worse.”

 

Betty could see the look in his eyes, and she smiled gently. “You deserve someone who can give you their all, that person just isn’t me.” She turned to Michaels and her expression changed completely. “Your wife deserves better than this, and you know that.” Without another word, Betty walked out of Ray’s house; finally leaving her past behind her. 

  
  


Betty arrived back at the motel to see a distressed Jughead standing on the balcony. “Where the hell have you been?” he snapped when she walked over to him. “No,” he whispered when she didn’t answer him, her silence was answer enough. 

 

“I just went to talk to them, I needed the whole truth, Jug.” She looked at him but all she saw was anger. “I don’t understand why it’s such a big deal.” 

 

Jughead stepped back, creating distance between them. “Because the two men you went to see are in love with you,” he snapped. 

 

Betty sighed, laughing at her boyfriend before walking backwards and rubbing her hand across her face. “Seriously?” She asked. “Jughead, you don’t need to worry about who I am around because the only person I love is YOU. How do you not know that by now?” Their eyes met and she sighed. “You are not him, okay? The way I love you, it’s different. It’s always been different with you.”  She cupped his cheeks and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. “How did you know he was in love with me?”

 

Jughead laughed before kissing her back. “You’re irresistible,” he whispered. 

 

Betty pulled back and laughed gently. “That’s what Ray said.” The look on Jughead’s face was enough to shut her up. “Forget I said that.” Jughead groaned before pulling Betty back into him and hugging her deeply. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are ALWAYS appreciated!!


	9. Never Enough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things take a turn for the worse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Alcohol addiction at the end of this chapter

Being back in Riverdale had felt odd for Jughead. Of course, this was his home, but he couldn’t shake the feeling of something being unusual. Despite spending every night with Betty, going to work daily, and making time for his small group of friends- as he always did- something was just simply off. 

 

Kevin, Betty, and Jughead had been back from Los Angeles for a week the first time something felt out of place. Jughead had been doing paperwork for the Wyrm with Cheryl, when out of nowhere, an indescribable feeling ran through his body. Jughead had done his best to ignore it, but then it happened later that night over drinks at the bar. And then again at the apartment as he lay naked against Betty’s sleeping body. All these normal things, and they suddenly felt out of place. 

 

“Dad, what the fuck do I do?” Jughead was yelling now. He had come to the trailer in Sunnyside trailer park about an hour ago, knowing the only person who could help him was his father. FP had asked Jughead when this all happened, exactly what he was doing the first time it happened. Although he had repeated a thousand times that it was paperwork, they finally figured something out when he specified exactly what the paperwork was. “I shouldn’t feel  _ guilty _ ,” he growled, sighing and rubbing his hand against the back of his neck. 

 

“Boy, you were doing paperwork with  _ that  _ date on it.” FP sighed. “It’s completely understandable that you feel a bit of guilt.”

 

“I don’t just feel a bit of guilt!” Jughead snapped, “I took his father, I took his wife, and I’ve practically torn his gang apart.” Jughead was going over old paper records for taxing when he saw a date that was imprinted in his mind. Though he acted as if Ray never existed, not a moment went by that he didn’t think about the day FP rode his own son out of town. It made sense that the guilt hit him as he saw the date; it made even more sense that he felt guilt as he sat happily with his friends- something Ray never got. But the moment of guilt that stayed with Jughead the most was when he was with Betty in his bed. Why did he feel guilt for loving Betty? Did he not deserve a chance at being with someone who loved him? Did Jughead really think the one thing Ray truly deserved was the woman who had captured both of their hearts? Jughead’s thoughts stopped at the ringing of his cell phone. He pulled it out of his back pocket to see Betty’s picture light up the screen. “I got to go,” he mumbled to his dad before sliding the green button on his phone and answering her call. 

 

Jughead walked out of the trailer as he spoke. “What’s up?” 

 

_ “Where are you?”  _ Betty sounded angry. “ _ The bar is a mess and Cheryl said you stormed out of the office this morning. Her and Toni have been fighting, Veronica is nowhere to be seen and Sweets is flirting with all our female customers.”  _

 

Jughead sighed as she spoke. If Toni and Cheryl were fighting that meant there would be some mention of him. Cheryl was smart, she was calculated, and she only ever fought with Toni when something big was happening. “I’ll be right there.” With that, Jughead was getting on his motorcycle and heading to the White Wyrm. 

 

“They’re upstairs,” was all Betty said when Jughead entered the bar. She was standing behind the counter with her arms crossed as she leaned against the wall. Jughead tried talking to her, but she nodded her head towards the stairs and groaned, “I seriously just want them to shut the fuck up. So, please, go deal with that first.” Within minutes, Toni was running down the stairs and yelling as she did. 

 

“Do you really think you’re going to be together forever?” Toni yelled, stopping in front of Betty. “I mean look at all of us. Sweet Pea’s fiance is probably sitting at home knocked out from too much wine while he whores it up with all our slutty customers, Cheryl doesn’t want to be together, and well–” Toni took a step forward– “you should know from experience that marriages don’t work out.” With that, Betty’s clenched hand went forward and connected with Toni’s nose. 

 

“Toni can you ever just keep your mouth shut for Christ sakes?” Jughead sighed, chasing after Betty as she ran out of the White Wyrm. He finally caught up to her in an alley three blocks away. “Betts!” Jughead yelled as he got closer to her.

 

She stopped and turned to face him. “What?” Betty snapped. “What do you want Jughead?” 

 

“I want you to slow down!” He yelled back at her. “Maybe Toni was right.” Jughead sighed for what felt like the millionth time today. “Maybe you and I-” 

 

Before Jughead could even finish he felt Betty’s palm slap harshly against his cheek. “Do not start that shit with me.” She was screaming now. “You think I haven’t noticed how off you’ve been lately? Wanting to have sex less, not listening during conversation, leaving Cheryl to do paperwork alone? I notice these things so don’t act like I’m stupid.” Betty looked at him and felt tears prick in her eyes. “Are you cheating on me?” she asked honestly. 

 

Jughead’s eyes went wide at the accusation. “What?” Jughead stepped forward and grabbed Betty’s hand. “I am NOT cheating on you. It’s about Ray,” he admitted. Betty looked at him and pulled her hand away from him. “Betty-” 

 

“No,” she growled. “I thought we put all of that behind us. Everything with Ray and the Dragons.” 

 

“He’s still my brother, Betty,” Jughead fought back. “I’ve gotten everything he could never keep,  _ including you. _ I’m in love with my brother’s ex wife, that kind of thing sticks with a man!” he yelled, harsher and louder than intended. 

 

“Just-” Betty looked at Jughead– “I’m going to take care of some stuff, if you’ve stopped being Mr. Righteous by tonight, then I don’t know, call me.” Without another word, Betty walked away from Jughead and went to take care of what needed to be done. 

 

She stood hesitantly in front of the Jones trailer, first with a sense of confusion about why she was here, but then anger overtook her. Betty remembered hearing stories from Ray about what kind of person his father was, and though at the time she didn’t care, now it couldn’t leave her mind. She knocked on the door and waited for FP to answer, standing shocked at who stood in front of her. “Ray?” Betty asked, not believing he was there. “Wh-what are you doing here?” 

 

“Jughead and I had been talking about me coming back home for a visit. I guess he wants to try and mend bridges.” Ray’s laugh was cold, but he seemed happy despite that. “I thought I should stop here first, fix the broken home life.” He looked back inside the trailer to where FP was standing with a cold root beer in his hand. “I’m guessing you came here for big Jones though?” Betty nodded, still thrown off by the turn of events. “I’ll get him.” 

 

Less than a minute later, FP was walking out the front door of the trailer. “What can I do you for, Cooper?” he asked, closing the door behind him. 

 

“I was wondering if you felt like taking a walk?” she suggested, shrugging to act as if what she needed to say wasn’t important. Betty had a million feelings inside of her and knew the one way to take care of them was having this conversation with FP. He nodded his head and followed her through Sunnyside trailer park. “How bad was the drinking when we split up?” Betty’s question came out of nowhere, throwing FP off guard, but he was able to clear his throat and answer, 

 

“It runs in our family- drinking to cope. I don’t think he even realized he was doing it, but it wasn’t your normal drinking.” FP sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as they continued to walk. “It was bad, Betty.” 

 

“I used to cut,” Betty said. “It was my way of coping. No one noticed. Well if they did, they didn’t say anything- until Jug. When we got into a huge fight before his drinking started, he brought it up to me and in that moment, I realized he wasn’t lying when he said he loved me. But what he doesn’t know is why I cut.” She sighed, looking up to FP who seemed to have no idea what to say. “I had a terrible relationship with my mom. I loved her and all I wanted was to be enough for her, but she didn’t support me in any of my decisions and she spent years trying to pressure me into fitting in and being ‘normal’. He knows some of this, about how I needed to be the perfect girl next door to satisfy the woman, but he has no idea what it did to me Mr. Jones. I left home and haven’t talked to her since, and I know our reasons are different, I just- I don’t want Ray  _ or  _ Jughead losing their chance to be close with their family.” Betty finished talking and took a deep breath, pushing away the violent tears that threatened to fight their way out of her eyes. “He also doesn’t know that I cut when we stopped talking. Finding out about Ray and reliving a past I tried so hard to escape from- it all came back to me and I didn’t know what else to do. I can’t imagine someone feeling so bad that they had to cope in such an unhealthy way, but I think you owe it to both your sons and yourself to fix what’s been tarnished.” 

 

FP looked at Betty in awe, wondering how both of the men he raised ever could have been lucky enough to have this amazing woman love them. “You’re an incredible person Betty, and Jughead is a lucky man.” FP smiled at her. “I’m working on fixing things with Ray tonight, and maybe in the future the three Jones men can sit down and have a mature conversation.” Betty smiled back at him. Knowing she may have just helped their family made her feel accomplished in a way she hadn’t in so long. “Maybe you could join us for dinner sometime,” FP said as they came to a stop in front of his trailer. 

 

“I think we have a long time for that.” Betty hadn’t even realized the words that fell from her mouth until she saw FP’s face. “I uh-”

 

“Yeah,” FP chuckled. “Have a good night Betty. I’ll see you later.” With that, FP walked back into the trailer and Betty headed towards her apartment. Hoping that her phone would start ringing with Jughead’s number, a sense of need for him filled her body and she knew she wouldn’t sleep tonight without seeing or talking to him. 

 

Betty arrived back the apartment building and stopped when she saw couldn’t see Jughead’s car in the parking lot. Sighing heavily, she threw open the front door and took the elevator to her floor. Betty stepped inside her apartment and slammed the door shut behind her. She kicked off her shoes and tore off her jacket as she walked over to the bathroom, pulling her shirt off when she stood in front of the mirror. For the first time in a very long time, Betty looked at the scars littering her skin and flinched at the memories of when they first started. Of course, over time she forgot what each one was for- becoming numb every time the blade slid across her pale skin. She thought back to the first time she cut- thinking about how her mom was only down the hall and yet, had absolutely no idea that her daughter was torturing herself. Betty remembered what she told FP earlier, and wondered if maybe it was the same thing for her. Thinking back on all the things that had happened to her, they all circled back to her mom and how she raised her. Betty was who she was because of her mother, and she acted the way she did because of her too. Running her fingers along the faded scars on her lower abdomen, Betty left the bathroom and pulled out her phone, tears finally falling as she searched for her mother’s contact.

 

_ “Coopers residence.”  _ The voice was light and the symbol of a modern day housewife, but she knew more than to be fooled by her mother’s show.

“Mom,” her voice came out raspy, “it’s Betty.” 

 

The line was silent for a moment before Betty heard sniffling on the other end and a whisper of what she knew to be her mother’s voice. _ “It is so good to hear from you.” _

 

A part of her didn’t want to believe the words, knowing that the last time her and her mom spoke was horrible. But it still warmed her heart anyway. At the end of the day, this was still her mom. “I just- I wanted to hear your voice,” Betty said, her words laced with nothing but pure honesty. Betty went to continue, but she heard a knocking on her door and panicked. “I need to go, but please, please call sometime.” Without another word, Betty hung up the phone and threw on one of the shirts in reach before walking over to the door. 

 

“Why the hell didn’t you tell me?” Jughead yelled as soon as Betty opened the door. “You went to see my DAD and Ray was there but you didn’t tell me,” He snapped, slamming the door shut as he invited himself into her apartment. 

 

Betty stood at the door and sighed. “Last I checked, I don’t need to report everything I do back to you.” 

 

“Your ex husband, Betty!” His voice was raised as loud as it ever had been and Betty couldn’t take anymore of it. She was tired of this constant fighting with Jughead about Ray. She knew she had once been married to him, but Betty thought Jughead knew her well enough by now. She couldn’t handle it anymore– the same argument playing out on a loop every time Jughead was upset. Enough was enough. 

 

“I am so done with this, Jughead!” Betty yelled back. “Every fucking time we fight it’s about the same thing. Yes, I was married to Ray. Yes, I fucking loved Ray. But for God’s sake, if you STILL don’t know by now that I was invested in us, then I don’t know what else to do.” There were tears in her eyes once again, but she couldn’t let him see her cry- not tonight. “Jughead, go.”

 

“Betts-”

 

“No. Maybe in the future we’ll figure something out, but right now I just need to be on my own. I can’t keep fighting about this day after day.” Jughead tried to fight her, but Betty walked to the door and opened it, repeating again and again that he needed to leave. Eventually, he took one last look at Betty before walking away, completely heartbroken. 

 

Jughead couldn’t sleep that night, laying in bed with only one person on his mind. As he thought about her being so close- yet so far away– he got up from his bed and walked over to the locked cabinet in his kitchen. He shouldn’t do this- Jughead knew it would only do more harm than good, but he couldn’t stop himself. Pushing back tears as all his self control disappeared, Jughead opened the cabinet and grabbed a bottle of whiskey. Not bothering to get a cup, he took off the lid and once again, his addiction took over. 

 


	10. Finding Me

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: This chapter ventures into the sensitive topic of rehab and heavy drinking problems, so be cautious if you choose to read!

Betty had made the decision to stop working at the Wyrm while her and Jughead… were doing whatever it was they were doing. She didn’t want to admit to herself that they were broken up, so maybe she could say they were just on a break? In reality, it felt like much more than that, and somehow, less than that, too. It felt over, yet not even close all at the same time. It had been three weeks now, with constant messages from Veronica and Sweet Pea asking what the hell happened. Betty couldn’t bring herself to answer the them. She ignored most messages revolving around Jughead, and chose to only speak about things not related to him or her job at the Wyrm. To make money, Betty took a job at the local gym as a trainer. It felt nice- using the thing she loved to help others with it. Betty had always loved throwing a punch and working out, even with her perfect girl next door facade all those years ago. 

 

She was able to stay after hours and do her own work out, which helped immensely. With so much anger built up inside of her due to recent- and past- events, throwing a punch on the bag seemed to be the only thing that could properly calm her down. The gym seemed to be the only place she could go and just be free. It broke her heart- no longer feeling that same sense of freedom with Jughead, but she just  _ couldn’t  _ keep fighting about the same thing. She fell in love with the way they got each other on their last nerve; Betty found it crazy that the very thing that made her fall in love with him was the one thing that ended up pushing her away.  

 

Betty had just finished with one of the younger girls she was training in self defence when the door opened and the one person she’d managed to avoid in the last three weeks was standing in front of her. It wasn’t that Betty didn’t want to see him, because she really didn’t have anything against Ray anymore, but the idea of seeing the man who was the reason behind all her fights with Jughead just simply didn’t sit right with her. 

 

“Have a minute?” he asked, but she ignored him and turned back to the punching bag. Ray chuckled to himself before walking closer to Betty. “You know, the Betty Cooper I remember didn’t give up once she had her heart set on something.” He grabbed the bag to steady it for her. “Based on the way you looked at him, and just that look in your eyes, I’ll bet my life on the fact that you had your heart set on Jughead.” The mention of his name set Betty off. Missing the punching bag, she came an inch from connecting her fist to Ray’s jaw. 

 

“What are you doing here, Ray?” Betty snapped, ripping off her gloves and throwing them into her duffle bag. 

 

“FP told me and Jughead about what you said to him,” Ray sighed. “We had dinner together the other night, and it came to my attention that you two broke up.” Despite knowing he was right, the words being said out loud still made Betty flinch. “What happened, Cooper?” His tone was much more gentle than before, showing that he really did care. 

 

“You.” One word that could mean a million different things. For a split second, Ray thought  _ maybe she still loved him  _ but when he came back to the reality that her heart belonged to Jughead, he knew what she meant. “He kept thinking that me being around you meant something.” She sighed heavily. “I couldn’t keep doing it, Ray.” 

 

“He’s in rehab, Betty.” The words set her off the edge. Tears she’d only ever let fall in the comfort of being alone in her room came rolling down her cheeks. “I went over to see him last night and found him passed out drunk. I called FP and he told me that he’d meet us at a rehab facility, that this was something Jughead had spent years battling.” Ray walked over to Betty and placed his hand on her cheek, wiping away the tears. “I think it would mean a lot to him if you came to visit. I’m not saying get back together, because that’s the last thing either of you need right now. But, just seeing each other might help.” Betty looked at Ray confused and he laughed lightly. “We were married. As much as you think I never paid attention, I know when you’re not doing well. You both need each other.” 

 

Betty stood outside of the rehab facility in Brooklyn, New York, her hand resting on the handle wondering if she should walk in. Ray had left the address for her to decide if she would go or not. It took Betty a few hours to figure out what to do. She went home from the gym, showered, and sat in her car for longer than she ever had before turning the engine on and heading out of Riverdale. 

 

Finally working up the courage, Betty pulled open the large doors and walked inside. Instantly, her body was flooded with a sense of hurt and sadness. She wandered over to the front reception desk and said, “I’m here to see Jughead Jones.” The woman behind the desk looked at her for a moment before giving her the room number. Betty headed down the hall. Hearing voices as she approached the room, Betty stopped. 

 

“I know you told me not to pick up the bottle, and God dad, I tried so fucking hard.” Jughead’s voice was laced with pure pain and shame, she could hear it quivering and wondered if he had spent as much time crying in the last three weeks as she had. “If this is what loving someone is like, then I don’t want to do it.” The words managed to break Betty’s heart in an instant.

 

She was about to turn around and leave when FP noticed her and simply said,“Betty.” Jughead looked up to the door and his expression changed completely. Bety could tell he had spent quite a bit of time drinking- if his bloodshot eyes were anything to go by. “I’ll leave you two,” was all FP said before passing her, leaving Betty and Jughead alone. 

 

“Ray stopped by,” Betty said, ignoring the scoff that came from Jughead. “He came by because he thought you might need to see me.” She looked away, afraid to gaze into his blue eyes. 

 

Jughead cleared his throat before looking up at her. She looked exhausted, he thought. That’s when he noticed her knuckles and how torn up they were. Sshe must not have been wrapping her hands before working out. Little things from the way her eyes shined with pain and how her entire exterior no longer showed the strong woman he fell in love with made him want to wrap her in his arms and promise a future. But Jughead had come to a conclusion about a week ago, and even more so in the early hours of today as he woke up in the rehab facility. He and Betty just weren’t good for each other like this, and for the time being they needed to stay away from one another. “Well, he was wrong.” Three words, and they destroyed her in ways she never thought possible. Just to cut the knife deeper, he continued, “You and I have a lot to work through on our own, and I just don’t think being in each other’s lives will help with any of that.” 

 

Betty tried to hide the pain in her voice as she spoke. “I just wanted to see that you were okay, Jug.”  

 

“Well, you came, you saw and you can go now.” His voice was harsh as he told her to leave him. Betty wanted to plead her case– tell him that they could work through all of this and it couldn’t be the end for them– but she didn’t. Instead, Betty politely nodded her head before walking out of the room. She was the one who ended things, and would be damned if she became the girl that ran back crying for a guy to love her. Jughead would come back- she was sure of it. All she had to do was wait for him. 

 

“Betty.” She turned around at the sound of her name and smiled at FP. “He won’t say it now, but he needs you. Just give him some time.” FP rested his hand on Betty’s shoulder and offered her a comforting smile. “Come back in a few days, just here and there until he finally comes around.” She had nothing to say, and so just like with Jughead, Betty nodded before walking away. 

 

When Betty left the rehab facility her plan had been to simply go home and relax, but when she found herself parked in front of the White Wyrm, relaxing was the last thing she was about to do. Betty walked into the bar and immediately set her sight on one of the men she had flirted with from time to time. He stood at a pool table with a lit cigarette in between his lips. For a second Betty allowed herself to wonder what his lips would feel like against her own. These past few months were the longest she’d gone only being with one person sexually, and in the three weeks since they split, Betty hadn’t been with anyone else. But now, she needed an escape. If Jughead was going to work through his shit, then so would she. Smiling to herself, Betty approached the pool table and leaned against it. “It’s been a while.” 

 

The man, Reggie is what they called him, looked at her and a smile danced on his lips. “Does this mean what I think it does?” He took his smoke and threw it in the nearest trash can, “Well then Cooper, let’s go.” 

 

\--

 

Betty woke up the next morning with a banging headache and absolutely no memory of what had happened the night before. However, the text on her phone told her  all she needed to know. 

 

_ You and Jones need to work your shit out, it’s clear that you love him- Reggie. M _

 

Betty scoffed at his words. She remembered leaving the bar and heading back to her apartment for drinks, but after that, nothing. Based on the message though, she assumed it meant that they didn’t sleep together– something Betty silently thanked herself for. She went through her contacts and sent her mom a quick message saying that she would be calling her shortly. Ever since that first call a few weeks back, Betty and her mom had made an effort to talk at least three times a week. It was her saving grace as she found comfort in her mom’s new attitude and understanding of life. No longer the overbearing control freak, but a gentle and kind woman who wanted nothing more than to support her daughter. 

 

Betty was just about to head into the shower when she received a message back. “ _ No need.”  _ For a second, Betty felt a sting of pain inside her chest but it went away with the knock at her door. Trying her best to fix the mess she was, Betty slowly opened the door, nearly fainting from the sight in front of her. 

 

“Mom.” It was all Betty could say, surprised by these turn of events. 

 

“I got a call from that ex-husband of yours, he told me you needed support.” Alice let herself into the apartment and set an overnight bag on Betty’s counter. “I think we need to talk.” Betty shut the door behind her and took a seat on the couch. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me and now feels like time to tell you.” 

 

Betty led Alice to the couch, gesturing for her to sit beside her. “I can take it mom.” 

 

“I know you hated me for being so controlling all the time, and I can never make up those years, but I did it because I thought it was what was best for you.” Alice sighed, pushing back tears that threatened to stream down her cheeks. “I made a lot of mistakes as a young girl, from drugs and one night stands, but my biggest mistake was never going after what made me happy.” She smiled sadly, thinking back on her younger years. “There was this boy who I fell so head over heels for, but the problem was he came from the wrong side of the tracks. My parents already hated me for my other decisions, but if I had stayed with him, that would have been it. A month before graduation I told him we couldn’t be together anymore and I still suffer the consequences every day.” Tears fell from Alice’s eyes as she held onto her daughter’s hand. “I remember the first time I saw you crying over a boy and it broke my heart, Elizabeth. I didn’t want you to stay away from Ray because of who he was, I wanted you to stay away because I didn’t want to see your heart get destroyed. When you called me and told me about Jughead, I knew I ruined our relationship for no reason at all. You were going to love and be hurt no matter what, but I think this time it was for real. I think that if you walk away from this, you’ll spend the rest of your life wondering what if. Trust me Betty, that’s the last thing you ever want to be stuck with.” Taking a deep breath, Alice allowed Betty to take in everything she had just told her. 

 

“I’m scared mom.” Betty mirrored her mother’s actions as she cried her feelings out. “Ray was amazing, but the way Jughead makes me feel is terrifying. I feel so empty without him, and he makes me so jealous and angry and I don’t know what to do with myself.” 

 

“You’re in love with him,” Alice said simply. “It’s a different thing from loving someone. Being in love is a whole other universe entirely.” She looked at her daughter and offered a sad smile. “It’s the scariest thing in the world, but you can’t give up on it.” 

 

As Betty listened to her mom, she thought about what Jughead had said the day before at the facility.  _ You and I have a lot to work through on our own, and I just don’t think being in each other’s lives will help with any of that.  _ How could it be that the man who a few weeks prior would have done anything to keep her was now telling her they needed time apart? He was the one person who knew everything about her, and Betty didn’t think she could survive a life without Jughead- not after knowing what it was like to have him by her side through pain and happiness. “I need to see him, mom.” 

 

Alice looked at Betty and for the first time in weeks, Betty felt hope. “I’ll give you a ride, I got some stuff I want to do anyway.”  

 

\--

 

Unlike the day before, as Betty stood in front of the rehab facility, she wasn’t afraid to step inside. She pulled open the door knowing full well exactly what she would say and smiled as she passed the reception desk. When Betty got to Jughead’s room, he was with Ray and she looked at the two of them before Ray took the hint and let the room. 

 

“Betty-” Jughead began but Betty cut him off. 

 

“No,” she said harshly. “You think I’m going to walk on eggshells around you because you’re in rehab? Tough luck Jones, it’s not going to happen.” Betty slammed the door shut before turning back to him. “You were right when you said we have a lot to work through on our own, we’re fucking human Jug, that happens. But when you said being in each other’s lives wouldn’t help, God, you were so wrong. Do you know what’s happened since we’ve met? You stopped having meaningless one night stands, you participate more with your employees, you and your dad are closer and you’ve begun mending bridges with your brother. Juggie, if it wasn’t for you, I’d still be the same old grumpy bitch dressing like a slut and pretending like I don’t have a heart. I never would have told Ray where I really stood in our relationship and drugs would still be ruining two gangs that don’t need that bullshit.” Betty sighed, trying to calm her feelings as she continued, “So much good has come from us being together and if you’d just give me a damn chance we could fix this. Your jealousy, my secrets, our anger and everything else. We  _ need  _ each other, damn it!” 

 

“Okay,” Jughead said. One word was his response, as if Betty hadn’t just laid her entire heart out on the table for him. He looked up at her and smiled slightly. “Okay.” 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think this chapter is my favourite thing I've ever written so I hope you all enjoyed!


	11. Always You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! The last chapter, I really hope all of you enjoy this.

Today was finally the day Jughead was being released from rehab. He and Betty had talked about what this would look like for their relationship over the course of the past two months and came to an agreement that she would remain working at the gym, and unlike before, they wouldn’t mix business with pleasure. Being in treatment gave Jughead the opportunity to have a counselor and talk about his coping mechanisms as well as his fears in his relationship with Betty. Meanwhile, Betty was able to look back and understand where Jughead had been coming from and surprisingly grewg close to Cheryl as they discussed what would happen once he returned working at the bar. With Toni now gone, Betty saw a side of Cheryl she never had before and it was refreshing. 

 

Though they had plans set out, Betty and Jughead both knew from first hand experience that nothing ever happened the way they expect it to. Nothing was near close to fixed and they both had a lot of insecurities and emotions to deal with separately- but were also both ready to stand side by side as they did so. Betty sat in the back booth at Pop’s as she waited for Jughead, knowing he would soon be coming in with his father and brother. Her smile lit up as the bell chimed and her eyes met with his and for the first time in a long time, Jughead didn’t look sleep deprived and as if he’d spent the last decade crying. Maybe that was dramatic, but in a sense it was true. When Betty and Jughead first met, they were two young adults who had spent more time pretending not to love instead of allowing themselves to open up their hearts. However, since that first day in this very booth, the two adults had shared more about themselves than they ever thought possible and after so many lonely years let their emotions take over. 

 

“Hey baby.” Jughead smiled lightly, planting a kiss on Betty’s forehead before taking a seat across from her. “Can you two not find something better to do?” Jughead complained, (not so) silently wishing that his father and brother would leave him alone with Betty for the day. 

 

“We’ll leave you two to it.” FP smiled, patting Jughead on the back and giving Betty a hug before walking back out of Pop’s with Ray. 

 

Jughead and Betty sat in silence for a few minutes, allowing the air between them to cleanse as they thought about what would happen from here. Jughead’s addiction was not something to be taken lightly and they both knew that the first day out of rehab was where his journey to recovery really began. This was all new territory for her- loving someone in a way where she would have to take care of them- after being so used to looking after herself. Betty didn’t feel prepared and she prayed to God that Jughead would speak first. “Did you ever think any of this would happen?” Jughead asked. “When you took my seat all those months ago, could you have ever imagined this?” 

 

Betty chuckled lightly. She had not only asked herself this question before- but also wondered if Jughead thought about it too. “I didn’t take anything.” She argued, remembering exactly how much she was irritated when a young teenager tried to warn her to stay away from that seat,  _ or else.  _ It was crazy how the place she chose to sit ended up resulting in her meeting the love of her life- and changing everything for her. “But no, I never would have guessed that my  _ choice  _ of seat would lead to us.” 

 

“In rehab I had a lot of time to think,” Jughead said, his voice low and serious- causing Betty to be slightly nervous but she tried not to think the worst, as she had a habit of doing. “My counsellor wanted me to think about my drinking and when it started.” He sighed, resting his hand on top of the table to hold Betty’s. “I always used my drinking as a coping mechanism and I think that it stemmed from always having alcohol at hand. I didn’t tell you this because I needed to talk with my lawyer and Cheryl, but we came to a conclusion.” Betty looked at Jughead confused, but let him continue before asking anything. “I know you wanted to keep our relationship separate from business, but I was thinking I could sell my shares of the Wyrm to you.” 

 

“Jug, I-” Betty began but Jughead cut her off. 

 

“I’m not saying you have to. But I need to get away from the bar life for good, and the only person I trust to give it away to is you.” 

 

“What about you? How will you make money to live off of?” Of course Betty’s main concern was about Jughead, it had been since she saw him that first day in rehab. 

 

“Do you remember last week when I told you not to come by because it was a busy day of counselling?” Jughead asked. When Betty nodded, he continued, “I had a publisher come meet me. I know some friends who used to run in the Serpents and were able to make connections in New York. They read over some of my stuff and we’re working together to make a novel.” Betty’s face lit up, and for the first time Jughead felt proud of himself for this decision. “Nothing is set in stone, but they think it’ll be a great hit with a large audience.” 

 

“Oh my God, Juggie,” Betty squealed, finding it hard to contain her happiness at this news. “I knew you could do it. The first time I ever read something you wrote, I could tell by your words that it was more than a hobby for you. It’s a part of you.” 

 

“I know one thing’s for sure Cooper, I couldn’t have done this without you.” He squeezed her hand tighter. “You pushed me to be a better me and I will be forever grateful.” 

 

\--

 

Five years had come and gone since their morning at Pop’s and Betty and Jughead couldn’t be more grateful for everything that had come to them during those years. As discussed, Betty bought Jughead’s shares of the White Wyrm and co-owned and managed it with Cheryl. The two women had no connections to the Serpents like Jughead did and- with his permission- took the time, effort, and money to make it something much more than a local gang hangout place. They worked on decorating and furnishing, brand new tables, chairs, pool tables and food and alcohol selection. On less busy days the two business women would meet up with people looking for jobs who had history working in a kitchen as they worked with one of the world’s greatest bar fixers, Jon Taffer, to create the best possible bar they could in such a small town.

 

Once the bar was renovated and created into something more, Cheryl and Toni were able to go through couples counselling, as well as working through their issues at the workplace before she bought Betty’s share of the bar and they made it a family owned business. Betty was able to take some of that money and buy the gym from under the people who used to own it- she found out later on that they had been blackmailing young clients and that was not something she would ever stand for. Jughead had spent time working on creating a novel, and he was now the best seller of two crime novels and one romance story that was only just the beginning of a series he would continue working on. 

 

Betty had managed to leave Riverdale for a few days and surprise Jughead on his book tour for his novel, “Stronger Than Me.” It was the first romance novel he was willing to publish, instructed by Betty to stop being a ‘pussy’ and show the world his talent. Surprisingly, the novel had become his best selling yet and his book tour was extended out of America for the first time ever. Jughead was currently in Vancouver, CN for the opening of the second leg of his tour and when he heard a knock on the hotel door, he just assumed it would be his agent. But when he opened it to see a beautiful blonde looking back at him with a shy smile on her face and an all-too teasing outfit shaping her perfect curves, his excitement became hard to hide. Immediately Jughead pulled her into the room and slammed her against the door- shutting it in the process. Their lips connected harshly and with so much need and desperation. Betty moaned at the sensation she felt between her legs when she felt his jeans rub against her center and as Jughead pulled tightly on her loose waves. She bit his lip in response. “I’ve missed you so fucking much, Betts,” Jughead groaned, parting only for a moment to catch some air before crashing their lips together again and this time pulling Betty over to his bed. 

 

Their night play had ended an hour later and Betty fell asleep comfortably to the sound of Jughead’s heart beating under her head as she laid on his chest with his arms wrapped tightly around her. She woke in the middle of the night to Jughead awake, kissing her neck and when she whispered, “Jug,” he looked up at her shining green eyes and Betty could’ve sworn in that moment she saw her entire future in front of her. “Marry me,” Betty said, not realizing her words until he stopped moving his mouth and stared at her blankly for a moment- no emotion showing. “Right now,” she added, sitting herself up and cupping Jughead’s cheeks. “We have been together for over 5 years and I am damn certain there is no one else in my life I am ever going to love the way I love you. I hate being a sappy shit Jughead Jones, but my future is with you and I want to make it official.”

 

Jughead smiled brightly at Betty’s words, leaning in to connect their lips and groaning a ‘yes’ in response as it deepended. “But like, right now right now? Where would we even go?” he asked, resting their foreheads against each other as they both continued to smile. 

 

“Your signing isn’t until 2pm tomorrow. The courthouse opens at 9am.” Betty laughed. “We could go first thing, dressed in our normal outfits and just do it.” 

 

“Okay,” Jughead answered without the slightest bit of hesitation. 

 

After another round, the couple was able to fall asleep together once again with nothing but love and excitement in their hearts. Betty and Jughead both grew up with struggling families and secrets that had the power to destroy them- everything in their lives being second guessed and thought through. But the decision to marry each other didn’t need to be thought about in the slightest. It was what came naturally. From the first day at Pop’s when she challenged him and then ending up having a job together- it was meant to be. 

 

_ They were meant to be.  _

 

The next morning as Betty and Jughead walked out of the courthouse hand in hand, he ran to the car and pulled something out. “Baby, I have something for you,” handing Betty a copy of his book, she opened the cover and the first page read, 

 

_ To the extraordinary B.C  who was always stronger than me, thank you for never giving up on us.  _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing this story has been a journey to say the least, and I am thankful to every single reader who has left a kudos and comment on this fic. I'm thankful to all of you for sticking around through my shitty updating and dramatic storyline.   
> I love every single one of you more than you will ever know and I hope you stick around for my new multi chapter I'm hoping to get out before the summer is over! 
> 
> xx Summer

**Author's Note:**

> Comments truly mean the world


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